


Abomination ~Horrortale Sans x Reader~

by Lostflamefox



Series: Abomination [1]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: AU is changed a little bit, Alternate Universe - Horrortale (Undertale), Angst with a Happy Ending, Body Horror, But she got dragged into a pit, Chapter 6 and it's Sans Time, Character Death, Child Death, Complicated Consent, Cults, Death, Eventual Happy Ending, F/M, Flowey dies in infinity war, Fluff, Gore, Happy Ending, Horror, I finally planned the chapters, I have many horrifying ocs, I include some pretty horrifying ocs, I mean her attacks REALLY suck, I wrote a halloween special but it didn't let me post the chap, If this hits 50 kudos I'll draw whatever you guys request, It finally got posted but it's November, Just a little tiny bit don't worry, Loss of Limbs, Minor Character Death, Nightmare Fuel, Nightmares, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Pretty much smut, Reader Is Not Aliza, Reader Is Not Frisk, Reader isn't used to violence so her attacks suck, Reader quite enjoys night walks, Reader was going to be a nurse, Reader-Insert, Sans is a stalker, Sans kidnaps her at some point, Screaming, Self Cannibalisim, Smut, Snakes, Soul Bond, Soul Sex, Soulmates, Steamy, Stockholm Syndrome, The entire Hippocratic oath is the reader's motto, The reader is a pacifist, There's some intense vomit, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, Unhealthy Relationships, cannibalisim, obviously lots of violence, she just doesn't like gore that doesn't have to do with surgery, so much gore, the first chapter is an author's note, the reader is alright with blood though, the second chapter is very short because prologues are generally very short, there's some cult action, you're probably going to think "oh my god how many horrifying ocs do you have?"
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-11
Updated: 2019-03-22
Packaged: 2019-06-26 01:10:36
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 52,575
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15652701
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lostflamefox/pseuds/Lostflamefox
Summary: Ah, life. Just when you think luck's finally gone your way. You'd managed to make it into your first-choice college, and was halfway through the third semester; you were going to be a nurse, just like how you'd wanted to be. Your mother was proud, and your step-father was, as always, cracking jokes - except now he had a new arsenal of doctor jokes he could use.Night walks had always been a passion of yours. As a preteen and onwards, your neighbors always invited you along to walk around the city you lived in at night. When they'd moved, you'd never stopped. By the time you were packing for college you knew almost every footprint of your city.A mountain looms over the college campus, mysterious down to the last inch. Mt. Ebott, you recall someone saying. In your dorm, your window faces the mountain, and at night it looks beautiful when the moon crests over the peak. You decide it wouldn't hurt to hike up there during the weekend, and come back down before classes start again on Monday. It would be like you never left.Yeah, except for when you came across a cave and the vines tangled onto your ankles and dragged you into a pit.





	1. Starting A/N

Horrortale does not belong to me, neither does Undertale; they belong to their respective owners. Any music I include (not likely I will add any) is not made by me.

I had to take out a little of the summary to make it fucking fit, so here's what I took out - "Sometimes you'd even come all the way to the middleschool and highschool, and explore the woods behind them."

This will include profanity and lots of violence, seeing as it is Horrortale. I love Horrortale, honestly, and the concept is amazing; I will be editing the AU a little for the sake of plot. Not too drastically, mind you. Just things such as tweaking a bit of backgrounds, adding a few characters, adding a twist to the AU even further. Keep in mind that most of my OCs are horrifying in their own right, so they'll fit in much easier here.

Some more warnings about this - There will be a cult, I haven't decided yet but possibly attempted rape (Maybe even succeeded. I'm not too into posting smut, and especially rape, so if it is successful or even happens at all don't expect to be able to read it), intense and graphic violence, and lots and lots of cannibalism. Two characters from another fanfiction are also going to be in this one, seeing as the two are cannibals and fit in really well into the theme here. They won't be major characters (Maybe secondary or tertiary), and I won't reveal any of their backgrounds for the sake of them being in another fanfiction.

This is one of my only fan-fictions with a not-messed-up reader. I'm making her backstory a lot similar to mine, but obviously changing it. If you're here, I bet you expected all of those warnings, so you will probably read on anyway. I hope you enjoy, and I'll be working on the first chapter as soon as I post this.

Remember this...

_It's eat, or be eaten._

 

When I look over this it just makes me think "IT'S YEET OR BE YEETEN".

I've decided against the rape, so don't expect that anymore.


	2. Prologue

Who's that?

A human, if I'm not mistaken.

What is it doing here? Where is Aliza if it's here instead?

I do not know, but Aliza is not destined to fall again; our paths are forever disconnected.

... Oh. Okay. I'm going to guess you don't know why that is.

Correct.

I already kind of miss Aliza... It was fun to fuck with her every now and again, although I guess she didn't enjoy it quite as much.

I would suppose that is true. Pain is not something she enjoyed.

That sucks. I hope the new one is fun to play with... wait. Why isn't she falling in? She's just... staring down. Is she broken?

Not to worry, student, she's not broken. Perhaps a little stunned. I'll manipulate the vines to drag her down, would that make you happier?

Yes, very!

Alright.

.

.

.

y **O** _ **u** 'V_E ~~m _aD_~~ E A **M** **is t** _A_ ~~ _K_ E COm~~ _ ~~I~~ NG H_E **e** **r** EE...


	3. Chapter One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The chapter where the main character gets introduced, and everything instantly goes from bad to worse.

Vision blurred from the speed of her fall, her (h/c) hair seemed to hover just around her face, and her limbs tried to drift upwards as if being pulled by marionette strings. A scream ripped through her throat and chest, leaving her lungs feeling empty and her throat so raw specks of blood spit out of her mouth, making her choke and gurgle in slight pain. Tears further blurred her vision, a few of them joining the blood as the droplets drifted upwards.

_CRACK._

Whimpers of pain managed to escape her lips, agony blossoming around her spine as she hit the ground. All of the impact had been absorbed by her back and spine since that's what she landed on, and the crack resounding from it was not a good sign that she was going to be okay. What she landed on seem to be a soft patch of buttercups, though the ground underneath was mud. It did little to break her fall, though at least she didn't die.

Adding insult to injury, a few specks of blood landed on her face, making her muscles scrunch up in distaste and discomfort. Her back felt numb, the agony slowly ebbing away into nothing thanks to the rush of adrenaline her body brought to her to try and urge her onwards, smoothing over her panic to help her assess the situation.

Time to go through the self-health checklist.

Moving her head side to side and testing her neck muscles, she found that they were working just as fine, if not a little sore from when they hit the ground. 'Little sore' may be playing it down too much, but they worked, which was the only important thing to stress about. She blinked a few times, trying to clear her vision, feeling stray tears making their way across the sides of her face to drip on the mud below her.

Twitching her fingers and toes, she found them in working order. Painfully, she lifted her legs slightly, bending them at the knee so that she wasn't as spread-eagled on the ground. Bringing one of her hands to her face, she wiped at the blood droplets, then let her arm fall limp to the ground once more at her side.

Arching her back, she found that although it felt like the muscles there had been beaten with those hammer things they use to soften meat, they worked. Satisfied that her body was in working order - maybe not perfectly working order, but it would do - she took in her surroundings, calmly looking for a way out.

Four tall pillars seemed to hold up the ceiling around her, and rays of sun streamed through the crevice which she'd fallen through. Solid walls of soil, gravel, stone, and other minerals compressed the area, like a vertical tunnel. A few feet away, the wall opened up into a tunnel leading elsewhere, though it was shrouded in the kind of darkness that you felt could probably choke you.

Scanning around the walls of earth, panic took over her mind again as she spotted no way of exit. Her breath quickened, her heart beating faster as it dawned further and further over her that she might be stuck, that she might die down there alone in a hole, that she probably would be late for class on Monday.

Forcing herself to calm, she took deep breaths, her hammering heart in her chest slowly speeding down. Thanks to the several speed-ups and slow-downs, the beating felt hollow and harder than usual, much more noticeable and mildly painful. She recognized this to be heart palpitation, and silently waited as it slowly stopped and faded back to her usual heartbeat.

Clenching slightly at the mud, she slowly made herself sit up, a throbbing pain shooting up and down her back muscles and along her spine. Groaning it effort, she got her feet under her, and pushed upwards, standing up straight. Stumbling slightly to the side as her legs threatened to give way, she placed a hand on the wall for support.

She froze as her hand made contact with a thick vine.

Withdrawing her hand instantly, she stumbled backwards, trembling from the lack of support to help her stand. Standing still, she got her wits about her, looking down at herself to take in how she looked before she would go and face the day.

Her light gray hoodie was caked in mud, though mostly just her back, from what she could feel. Ripped, torn, and mushed yellow petals and leaves from the buttercups joined the mix, like some disgusting cake batter. Same went for the backs of her blue jeans, and her new black hiking shoes. Her hair also was coated in a thin sheen of mud and petals, and was very frizzy, from what she could see of the (h/c) locks that surrounded the edges of her vision as she looked down. The back of her head felt like a rat's nest.

The sleeve on her right hand had bits of smeared blood from where she'd wiped off her face. From what she could take in, she probably looked insane to anybody who didn't have context. She didn't even understand her own context. How would she explain to somebody that she got dragged own a crevice by vines?... Would she even see anybody again?

Shaking away the thoughts, her gaze drifted upwards and at the tunnel leading into a shadowy, black abyss. Although she was considered relatively small - five foot one isn't anything to brag about, and she always had some healthy eating habits and exercised so she wasn't overweight - it seemed like she might have a tight fit in the tunnel. Just what she need on top of all of what had happened.

Easing her way into the tunnel, she slightly crouched to allow herself more room as she passed through. To her luck, it was only the opening that seems to be so small, and albeit she couldn't see it, she could feel that it opened up into a wider space as she continued. The pressing darkness was making her claustrophobia act up, so she attempted to press it away, seeing as panicking and running out of there wouldn't be a good idea.

As she straightened up, she looked to the side to see it opened up into a cavern. In the center of the cavern was a patch of dull, ragged grass that looked half-dead. Bloomed in the center of that patch was a flower, much like the buttercups, except for the fact that instead of a stigma or a style in the center of all of those rugged petals was a single eye, and it was faced towards her, instead of up like all flower anatomy was.

Sepals under the petals acted as little hands or arms, which currently were spread out as the green eye looked her up and down, the little terrifying flower taking in her appearance. It looked surprised, though she couldn't tell because of the lack of facial features save for a single eye.

She knew her emotions, though. Fucking terrified.

"Howdy," it greeted sullenly, the slight surprise ebbing away. The eye slightly scrunched up instead of being open, slightly narrowed as his gaze traveled to her face. "New to the Underground, huh? Biggest mistake of your life, I'd reckon." Based on the pitch, she supposed he sounded like a little boy, which made him all the more unnerving. That wasn't even counting the words he was saying.

Opening her mouth to reply, she was cut off. "Since you fell here, I suppose you're the stupid, clumsy type. Not being mean or anything," he quickly added after a moment of thought. In his voice she could now recognize sarcasm, as if he'd rather be doing anything else but talking with her.

Taking offence, her eyes narrowed at the odd flower. "I don't know what the hell is going on, who you are, or where I am, but I still will _not_  be called the 'stupid, clumsy type'. You try being dragged down a fucking crevice by vines around your ankles!" She snapped, though regretted her anger as it melted away and instead a bit of a silent apology took her rage's place.

The flower blinked owlishly, seeming a little apologetic himself. "... I'm Flowey.  You are now trapped in the Underground, hell of monsters," he introduced himself, doing a little bow with one sepal folded across his front and one resting on the back of his stem. He perked up straight again.

"Monsters? You mean... _monster_  monsters?"

"Are there  _other_ monsters?" He shot back in return, though she was silent. "... Look. Why don't you put me in your pocket? You'll need a friend down here, considering... well..." He paused, as if thinking about what to say, his gaze travelling to the floor as he carefully brought the words to himself, giving a dramatic pause. "It's eat," he did a large sweeping motion with his sepals around the cavern they stood in, "or _be_ eaten."

".. Oh. Oh.. fuck." It took a few moments for the realization to really set in for her, but when it did all sorts of bad thoughts swarmed over her mind, like a smothering blanket over a once calm and collected fire. "You mean.."

"Either humans or ourselves, and sometimes even ourselves still, hard as it is to shove a gooey, dusty powder into your mouth," Flowey confirmed her fears, keeping the kind of calm air she would kill for right then. Not really, of course. He seemed to sense her growing panic, and rolled his green eye. "If you stick with me, I'll try and keep you from dying. I want to get out of here just as much as you want to... unless you're suicidal, which would explain why you are even on this cursed mountain in the first place."

".. I'm just a nurse-to-be who enjoys night walks and was curious about the legends about this place. I really need to get back, alright? Help me, please, Flowey," she begged.

Flowey looked at her with an expression she didn't understand. "A nurse, you say?" He asked, curiousness dripping from his voice.

Nodding, she swallowed, trying to fight back the ever-present nervousness that tried and drag at her consciousness to make her panic. "I... I've always wanted to help people. I don't want anyone to feel miserable or in pain. It's like I put myself in their place, and it... it makes me really sad, so why not make it better?" Talking about being a doctor seemed to calm her a little, to her relief. Keep her mind off of the growing panic and it'll disperse.

Making a little noise of thought, Flowey looked at her again, like he was trying to see if she was lying. When finding no such lies, his gaze softened. "Geez, you  _genuinely_  wanna help people. You're perfect for this place, pretty sure we could all use some of that positive energy you got going on. Maybe you could even break the barrier, end our suffering. Or you could die because people here prey on weakness, and just end up somebody's plate. Not exactly a long-term solution for everyone, but you'd still help," he offered.

All thoughts of panic increased.

Out of the shadows that were enclosed around them came two furry hands, one gripping at his top petal and one tightly gripping around his stem. His eye widened in fear, and an ear-splitting shriek left him and ripped through the air like a knife through a slab of thick meat. The hands tore him into pieces, the yellowed petal shreds covering the ground, his torn sepals slowly falling and his stem oozing glucose as parts of it smacked lightly against the grassy ground.

Stumbling backwards, tears cascaded down her cheeks as she looked at the ripped and shredded remains of the flower she'd just been talking to a moment before, and the eye crumbling to dust unlike the rest of that flower body. She tripped on a rock and fell hard onto her tailbone, her sore muscles lurching and aching in protest at the second impact. Gritty gravel and rough soil bit at her skin as she attempted to scamper away, and retreat back to the flower patch she'd fallen onto.

One of the white-furred paws gripped onto her shoulder before she could make it, the small claws slightly digging into her flesh. The fur was unkempt and ragged, some parts of it stained yellow or green from the dyes of Flowey's flower body. The other paw firmly grasped her face, the pads feeling like rough stone, covering her mouth before she could scream.

A woman's voice, sounding driven to the brink of insanity with an underlying motherly tone, cooed in her ear. "What a t-terrible creature, torturing such a poor, innocent youth... m-my name's Toriel, caretaker of the Ruins... how about I take you home, make you something to eat."

It was less of an offer, and more of a command; the kind of command that if you didn't follow it, you might end up without their spine in their back any longer. Not as if she had a choice to refuse either way, since the woman swiftly plucked her off of the ground and into her arms. When up in the air, she glanced down, wondering just how tall this woman must be if she was as high as she was.

Then she rushed off into the darkness of another tunnel, wrapped in the darkness of what seemed like a void, with that earthy musk blocking and seeming to fill her lungs.

~

Usually, pie wasn't really her thing. She was kind of picky about what she ate, and pie wasn't a thing she enjoyed eating very often.

Butterscotch-cinnamon must have some pheromone or something, because she couldn't eat it fast enough. As soon as she'd taken a bite, she'd recognized butterscotch - one of her favorite candies of all time - with that tang of cinnamon. Cinnamon wasn't a thing she regularly enjoyed either, but mixed with butterscotch it was delicious.

The atmosphere of the dining room - or was it the living room? - was homey, and warm, unlike the rest of that wretched place she'd fallen into. The crackling noise of the fireplace made excellent background noise, further issuing the homey feeling the place oozed; it gave the room a light glow, and produced actual warmth that made her feel comfortable, and safe.

Placing her fork on her now empty plate, she glanced over at the recliner where Toriel sat, reading a book about snails. Seeming to sense her look, Toriel looked up, a smile on her face. "Aren't you the  _cutest_  thing? Did you like the pie? I haven't cooked for anyone in ages, really... I hope it was up to standards!"

"Pfft- Of course it was 'up to standards'. I've never tasted anything so delicious in my entire life! Your cooking skills put my dad's to shame." She paused, finally remembering that she was  _underground,_  and getting out was on the top of her current to-do list. They wouldn't even notice she was gone until she didn't show up for class, and even then they might assume she would be sick for a few days. Her room in the dorm was off to the side, and she was so quiet they would probably completely forget about her and not even bother to see if she was still there.

"Is something wrong, my child?" Ah, shit. Toriel had noticed her sudden downwards spike in mood.

"... I just... I really need to get back to the surface. I've got classes I need to attend, and my family will probably be pretty worried," she tried to explain, hoping she would understand. She didn't want to offend Toriel by saying indirectly she would have to leave, she really would like to stay, after all. When her gaze looked up to Toriel from the floor she froze.

Toriel didn't look very calm and understanding.

"Am I not good enough?" Her tone of voice was accusing, a little on edge.

Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit. Fuck. Oh, no.

Feeling panicked, she tried to explain. "No, no, that's not it at all! I would stay if I really could, Toriel, but I don't want my parents to worry!... I can't fail college, and if I can't attend my classes that's what'll happen. Y-you understand that, right?" Based on the books, she'd assumed Toriel was probably all for education, which might help her understand. Hopefully.

 Nope.

Her face contorted into something trying to be soft, but at the same time so angry it looked like she wanted to get up and rip off her face. "I could teach you, my child! I-I am skilled in the medical field, not sure about human medicine, though. Stay, and I'll teach you all I know.  _Stay._ " It scared her a bit at how commanding Toriel's tone could be, making her veins and arteries seem to freeze in time unless given the order to continue pump blood.

Voice failing, she glanced back to the table. The strength seemed to ebb away from her muscles and bones, the pie's previous giving qualities fail. It had seemed earlier to give her strength and made her feel better, but that was gone now. Her stomach squeezed on itself, trying to get rid of what she'd eaten, making her feel sick. Instantly her skin felt too hot, and her insides too cold. The tabletop seemed a good place to lay her head just then.

Her lungs emptied of air all of a sudden, making her have a coughing fit as hard as she'd ever had in her entire life. Every cough racked her body, so deep in her lungs that it burned and made breathing so hard she was suffocating on anything she could get in. The rest of her senses closed off, even thought, as the fit continued.

Acid rose up from her stomach and she vomited, everything in her mouth burning. Her nostrils burned and made her struggle harder to breathe as bile came from there too, onto the tabletop. Her vision faded in and out as she continued to vomit, her body refusing the pie. It didn't taste any better coming up.

Between vomiting came more coughing fits, her lungs seeming to compress with lack of air. The sudden fear of dying stroke through her, and she tried in vain to stop coughing, trying to tell herself to take deep breaths. Her body wouldn't listen, however, and continued trying to cough up everything she'd ever eaten.

Thought faded again as it somehow worsened, the only thing it could process was the vomit coming up, the coughs shaking her body and the table, her body trying to hunch over, and the slight gaze she had of the table that was now covered in dyed vomit.

After what seemed like an eternity she was picked up and rushed into a bathroom, placed over a toilet. A comforting hand rubbed at her back as she continued to vomit for all she was worth, gasping and choking for air when none came. Her thoughts and senses slowly starting coming back as it lessened, and she vaguely could feel what was probably Toriel's hand pulling the hair from in front of her and on her back.

When she had nothing else to cough up, her body shook as it tried to vomit nothing. "I forgot how monster food can sometimes affect humans, I'm terribly sorry my child," Toriel's voice, more soothing, sounding into her ear as she trembled and brought in the breath she'd been fighting for.

Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes as her senses brought her pain. Her stomach still tried to push out what wasn't there; her mouth and nostrils were by then numb, the stomach acid burning away there. Her front was soaked in vomit, and she felt like if she moved a muscle she wouldn't be able to move for the next couple centuries. Her vision was kind of foggy, and she was lightheaded to the point where she almost fell over onto the floor.

"... I'll get a bath going for you, wash your clothes..." Toriel's support disappeared from her shoulders, and she nearly fell forwards to slump on the toilet bowl that was, by then, a real mess. Aiming for the bowl was a bit hard when you think you're dying of suffocation. Her skin was coated in sweat and drying vomit, feeling like she was being dipped into a volcano.

The sound of the running water seemed a bit distant as she focused on not falling over and getting much-need air into her lungs. She gripped on the toilet bowl like it was the only thing really keeping her in place, and if it got out of her grip she might fall into a void, forever lost to the world. 

Toriel's voice got her attention. "Take off your clothes and leave them just outside, if you can, my child... I'll clean them as you wash up. I do hope you feel better now." Genuine concern filled her voice, and it almost made her feel better.

Almost.

As the door almost shut behind her, she slowly made her way to her feet, still trembling in the aftershock of such a sudden, terrifying event. She leaned against a counter, glancing up at a mirror on the wall. She looked horrible.

Dyed vomit covered the front of her hoodie, mixed in with the crushed yellow flower bits, mud, and green stalks from her fall. Her hair had strands of it also covered in it, and a few specks were on her face. Her neck was drenched. Luckily the vomit had burned her nostrils so she couldn't smell it too much, which she was partly grateful for. She probably smelled just as bad as she felt and looked.

Peeling off her clothes, she shoved them on the floor just outside of the bathroom door and closed the door. The air was cold, contrasting her burning skin, but it didn't help to cool her down any. She glanced over at the bath, where Toriel had filled it halfway with water. Little bottles of soap were resting on a little shelf on the wall beside it, labeled in all sorts of scents she would pay anything to smell like, from  _vanilla_  to  _lavender._  

Ambling over as fast as her weak, struggling body could manage, she weaseled herself into the tub. The water was just at the right temperature not to make her skin any worse - not hot, not cold - and itself seemed to be scented, like mint. It barely made its way into her nostrils through the burned nerves. The bit of minty scent her nose did catch helped soothe her stomach, and she would ask Toriel for some mint leaves, but the thought of eating anything else made her cringe.

Soaking for a little while, she finally got around to actually scrubbing the vomit off of her skin, and trying to get it out of her hair. She'd wash herself with shampoo and soap after that. It was relaxing, but the clench of her uterus made a rather rude and abrupt entrance into the otherwise now-better mood. Surprisingly, it was easy to forget your period is due whenever your life changes a lot within the span of twenty-four hours.

Hopefully she could find something to deal with that, but it could wait, since she was in the bath and it wouldn't bother her until after she got out. Maybe a painkiller would help, but menstrual cramps wasn't the worst thing to happen to her. She could focus on washing instead, and ask Toriel what she could do about her period later.

Her three options for shampoo were  _vanilla, spring breeze,_  or  _herbal essences._ Vanilla was always a favorite, so she chose that one, with the smooth white bottle. It was probably one of the strongest - herbal essences took a strong second, since it was one of the weaker brands from the surface - so it would wash out the horrible rank stench of her bile easier.

For her body she had two options, and she chose  _wild cherry blossom._ Vanilla and cherries was one of the best scent combinations she could think of, so if she could smell it she would be even more relaxed. A little  _thump_  just outside of the bathroom door caught her attention, and she glanced over at a little shadow just under the crack in the door. Her clothes, freshly-washed, probably.

Toriel didn't seem too bad. Little lonely, yeah, and a tad dysfunctional in the social department, but she had kind interests at heart. If she was underground for so long, she would probably be insane too. Sun is important, after all, for good health. Not sure about monsters, but she would assume it's the same. It hurt her emotionally to see her so intent on her staying, but she knew she needed to leave.

... And she knew better than to fully trust her. Insane people did insane things; they're unpredictable. All she had to do was try and get away, and tell herself that Toriel will be fine. When she got back she would find a way to get her out, or try her whole life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally fucking finished this ride of a chapter. Sorry if it's a little rushed at the end, I just really wanted this done and out there, since it's been awhile since I updated anything. Also, I hope none of you are too disturbed by the vomiting. I've actually had a fit like that once, so I know in great detail how horrible and sometimes terrifying it can be to vomit so uh... vigorously. For different reasons, of course. That was not only cinnamon she was tasting in that pie, as anyone who knows Horrortale Toriel knows.
> 
> This is just a taste of what's to come. You can tell I am not sticking to canon Horrortale, since it goes a little differently. (Example; Toriel tore Flowey to shreds instead of burning.) Not to worry, however! It will still be mostly canon, as much as I can manage, I've just twisted tad bits and pieces of it. Nothing like something original, right?
> 
> Hope you enjoyed. Not-so-happy times ahead.


	4. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

>  The chapter where an escape attempt is made, then the escape attempt because an actual escape, and then an escape from that escape.

Taking deep breaths, she sat against the cave wall, breathing in the open-er air of the cavern. The dead tree in the front yard loomed over her, surrounded by crushed, decaying leaves that had fallen probably many years prior. The same dying leaves cluttered the front of the house, cleared where Toriel would go in and out via the front door.

Her stomach did another flip, but she had nothing to vomit, so she let out empty wretches before calming herself and sinking back further against the wall. Through the window to the living room she could see Toriel peeking through to check on her, and when their eyes met, she gave a little wave. She waved her hand shakily back in greeting, and Toriel disappeared from the window.

She was wearing her clothes she'd been wearing before, freshly cleaned by Toriel and delivered after her bath. Her light gray hoodie, blue jeans, and new black hiking shoes. They still had faint stains from when she'd first fallen, and the vomit, but most of it was out and now they smelled like lavender.

The musk of earth and dust made it still kind of hard to breathe, and the only 'fresh' source of oxygen around was the vines, which she avoided. She could make do with what she had, however. She clutched at her stomach as it did another flip; it wasn't settling down as much as she'd hoped it would, which would get in the way of any escape routes she could manage to find.

Looking over at the window, she guessed that Toriel wouldn't check again for another five minutes, at the most. Figuring that might be enough time to hobble away at least a short distance, she shakily started climbing back up to her feet, using the wall as support. The muscles in her legs felt like jello, but they were sturdy enough to keep her up without support for about half a minute. Glancing back at the house a second time, she exited her front lawn.

The next room had more leaves in the center, and split to the left and right. She hadn't been to the left, but the right would lead back to where she'd fallen, which seemed like a good bet. She hobbled that way, looking behind her every few moments out of sheer paranoia Toriel might catch her. There was no Toriel.

Coming to the first room of the four-room puzzle, she was relieved to see it was deactivated from the time Toriel took her through. Occasionally she'd have to lean on one of the three pillars in each room, careful not to knock over the little colored statue behind each one, anxious that it might freeze up the puzzle and lock her in a room on her way to the exit.

Passing through each room, the complete, utter silence seemed to ring in her ears. Her shoes made no noise because of how carefully she stepped, knowing how easily sound could echo in a cavern like that one. When Toriel had taken her through, she'd caught glimpses of other monsters, but never once had she gotten to see one directly, since they hid in the shadows.

Her legs gained a bit of strength as she passed into the last room, and she exited into the next part of the ruins. Her stomach flipped as she leaned against the doorway for a bit of support, feeling light-headed and very nauseous. She wretched, wondering what the hell they even put into monster food. Shaking a little, she stood back up straight, looking to see what was next.

Three plots of land on each side of the room seemed ready to break at any given moment. Vines snaked across the sides of the walls, as if trying to encase the room in green and leaves. Warily looking at the vines, she crossed in the center, out of the way of the vines and the breakaway plots of land. She didn't need to get further stuck in a hole she was already stuck in.

Going through another doorway, she came into the next room. It was a rather long room, shadows engulfing the corners and making everything seem ominous. Something moved in one of the shadows in the far corner, near the next exit, as if readying to pounce on her. Nearby to that was a sign she wouldn't have time to read, just like all of the other writings and plaques she knew she would pass.

Trying to ignore the rising fear of something attacking her, she sped up her pace as she crossed towards the other side of the room, sticking to the lighter path in the center. When she reached the other side, nothing moved or breathed; complete, utter silence that made her throat close up and ears ring louder, tuning up her senses so that everything that did happen would guarantee a reaction.

Looking left, she peered into the next hallway. It split to the left and right, though she couldn't see what lay beyond the empty doorways there. Slipping into the hall there, she looked to her right and left.

To the right was a mostly empty room. A sign was placed in the center, the writing so tiny she couldn't make it out from the two feet away she stood from it. Spider webs coated the corners, and just looking at them made it feel like little legs were clambering up her back, through her shirt. To her left was another empty patch of dead and dying leaves, and the rooms beyond.

Walking over the leaves, she breathed through her mouth, since breathing through her nose was getting louder than she would feel comfortable with. It lessened the pressure-like affect of the overwhelming musk of the place, so she could almost imagine she wasn't underground in a cave with a crazy goat lady that would notice her disappearance in less than fifty seconds, if she was lucky.

The next room was just a hall, but an alcove was cut into the left part of the wall. A small table that barely reached past her ankles was settled there, a moldy triangular-cut cheese slice set on top. It wasn't on a little plate or anything, just on the bare table, which was crisscrossed with cobwebs. A mouse hole was against the opposite wall, seeming just as dead as the rest of the place.

Wherever the mouse was, she hoped it would get something to eat. She didn't want to delay there, since the smell of the rotting cheese on her tongue was making her sicker than before, and Toriel might come barreling down the passageway at any given moment.

Up ahead, the hall widened into another room. On her side of the room, a foot-long moat full of murky, disgusting water flowed across the floor, with a little bridge the only way across. Her good luck was that the spikes that would have been sticking up were deactivated, so there was an easy way to cross.

Three rocks were set on pressure plates, which was the puzzle to deactivate the spikes. They all seemed like average rocks, except one of them, which she knew was sentient, and enjoyed delaying people. Good thing she was on the other side, the last thing she needed was a delay.

Crossing the bridge, she wove between two of the rocks, headed towards the next room she would have to pass through. Another flip of her stomach made her pause, and she took a quick break, crouching down and sitting on the floor for a moment. The sentient rock was behind her, and she heard the scrape of it against the flooring as it approached her, back to its resting position.

Scooting off of where it would be in its resting position, she trembled as she got to her feet. The  _shick_ noise of the spikes going back up on the bridge made her let out a silent sigh. Her throat contracted as she almost let out an audible one, making her almost choke on her own throat. Mentally cursing whatever had been in that butterscotch-cinnamon pie, she glanced behind her at the rock safely back its locked position, then turned and headed into the next passage.

Maybe the spikes would grant her a little more time, unless Toriel liked to leap across moats in her free time.

Next was a wider room, exiting somewhere to the right to the next passage. She bit her lip when remembering that one false step on that surface and she would take a very hard fall. Against the right wall was a little solid patch of land, coated in leaves, for safe standing if someone wanted to read a plaque that was on the wall.

Shadows lurked in the corners even worse than before, and she could see figures lurking there, as if watching and waiting for her to fail so they could strike. Feeling a bit too rushed, she took a single step onto the delicate flooring. It held, and she let out a silent sigh of relief, though paused when she couldn't remember if she had to go forwards, to the left, or to the right.

Ah, fuck.

Taking a chance, she inched along the wall to her left, and the flooring held her. Painfully slowly she made her way across the left side of the wall. Her breaths came in a nervous, uneven, hitched pattern, and she could feel and hear the blood roaring in her ears. She didn't know how long a fall it was to the bottom of this puzzle, if there was one. She already was bruised from her first fall, and another wouldn't do her any favors.

Reaching the wall, her breathing calmed slightly, and she decided to inch forward along the wall. One overstep and she would probably plummet. One step, and all seemed ok. A second step, and the floor still held. A third, and nothing seemed to be going wrong. Just across the room was the little plaque with the fallen leaves around it, so she chanced heading towards it.

After many unsure and shaky steps, she reached it, and leaned against the wall, her forehead against the plaque. She thought about how nice it would be to get back to the surface, and still have a day off before Monday. What a story she'd be able to tell, if people didn't call her crazy first. Convince someone to come down and get Toriel. Her parents would be so glad she was safe.

Her adrenaline kept pumping, which was getting the sickness out of her system - or, at the very least, making it much easier to ignore it - so she stood up straight. Forwards or back to the left were pretty much her only options, but forwards seemed a lot more likely. Becoming more confident, she took her first step forwards from the leaves where she'd been standing.

The ground held true.

A second step held just as well, then a third. The forth her confidence began to wane, and she placed her foot down for the fifth.

_Crack._

Fuck.

She lurched forwards as the ground gave way, crumbling to little pieces. A less-than-dignified shriek left her throat as gravity pulled her down, the momentum making her face the leaf-clustered ground below.

A loud  _oof_ escaped her as she belly-flopped hard onto the firm, packed dirt. Dead leaves were not as comfortable to fall on as everyone else would have you to believe. The air was knocked out of her lungs, and she struggled to get back in air, wheezing as she attempted to get back up.

It was darker down there then up top. The only ray of light came from the hole in the roof above, where she'd fallen in. As she struggled to sit up, a few of the leaves stuck to her hair and torso, matted against her body. An imprint of her body had been lying in the leaves, though her legs had landed on the bare earth, which was much harder than leaves.

Wiggling her toes to check if she could still move her legs, she pulled them under herself, looking around anxiously. The adrenaline was holding off pain for then, but she knew the bruises and aches would come really soon after. Nothing was silent anymore, so she didn't try and hide herself with the silence.

The darkness seethed and teemed with moving figures, though nothing came close to her. It smelled like trapped decay down there, with a strong undercurrent of sweat, bodies, and filth. The lavender scent of her clothes had been rubbed away, replaced by the rank scent. She froze as one hopped close for a moment, seeming to have the body of a frog, though was huge.

It hopped back into the darkness, and she looked where it had disappeared. She pushed herself to her feet, seeing another bit of light in the gloom ahead. Forcing herself to remain as calm as she could, she slowly took steps further into the cave, wading through the piles of leaves and strewing them off of what pattern they were in previously.

Don't think about huge frogs.

_Don't think about huge frogs._

Her shoe brushed against what felt like a huge frog, and she yelped, throwing all caution to the wind and running towards her goal. She could hear the sounds of what felt like at least ten frogs scattering to make way, and she slammed hard into a wall. She felt around the wall, finding there was a tube there, with holds for feet and hands, at least three feet off of the ground.

Hurrying, she clambered up into the tube, nearly falling and sliding down twice in her rush to get up. She could see the faint light of the main passageways up above, and nearly fell another three times before she made it up, grasping at the outer edges and pulling herself out of a slot in the wall that led back into the wall.

Landing hard on her shoulder, she groaned and collapsed to the ground, crawling out of the slot. She glanced over and saw that she was past the fragile ground of that hellish puzzle, and on the other side. Getting her bearings, she did a little push-up - cringing about her shoulder, which had taken most of the damage when she'd fallen with all of her weight on it onto the floor - and got to her feet.

Ahead was another puzzle. She ambled into the room, easily passing over the deactivated spikes. This was another rock puzzle, except it had spikes from wall to wall, and was a single rock. She needed an easy break after that. She would never,  _ever_  look at frogs ever again without remembering that. Going through that room, she paused when seeing what she had to cross next.

For fuck's sake.

Two feet across the entirety of the hall, no way to walk around, was another break-away flooring section. A slot was on either side, for escape routes from whatever hell was down there. Taking a few steps back, she took a sprinting start and vaulted over it, landing hard on her feet.

One of her heels landed on the breakaway, but she stumbled ahead before she could be dragged down. She heard the little bit of debris land on a padding of dead, decaying leaves below, and the same stench as before rose up. Her nose wrinkled at the scent, and she heaved, glad that was over for the moment.

If she came across another one of those puzzles, she would find whoever designed that place and hit them.

She walked forwards, and into a wider room. It went to the right, and had three huge patches of decaying leaves. Vines caked the walls, adding shadows to the already dark corners. A pale frog that had been in a corner spotted her and hopped away into a room dead ahead, which she made note to never go into.

Luckily, she had a second choice to go. To the left at the end was another doorway to go through. Peering through it, she saw it led to the longest hallway she'd seen yet. A white pillar was close to the door, coated with more vines; vines also dotted in patches along the walls, between bricks and in seams. She stepped into the hallway, and began to walk, following the light path that led across it.

Each second seemed to last a minute, and her fatigue started to finally set in, the adrenaline running short and making her movements slow with the effort. Her stomach flipped, reminding her of what she was plagued with, but she forged on. The hallway was even longer when you had to walk through it yourself, then just looking at it. Whoever made the hallway was a sociopath.

Before she could reach the end, a small figure strolled out of the shadows. It was a ferret monster, only about two feet tall, reaching up to about her hips. Its head was narrow, with beady eyes. It also had a lithe frame, and slightly longer arms than would be expected of a ferret. Most of its fur was a tannish color, though it had dark brown on its face and legs.

It wore only a little dark brown vest, out of a comfortable-looking fabric. It peered up at her, a smile on its narrow muzzle, and rose its chin up high. "Looks like you're in a hurry," he commented. His voice was kind of high, though it was kind of masculine, so she could tell it was a guy.

"... Sort of," she replied, her voice small and insignificant. Also notably a few pitches higher than usual. Her throat contracted at the use of her vocal cords, and her stomach squeezed.

"Poisoned, I'm guessing, and you're trying to escape? Hate to break it to you, but you're going the wrong way," he informed, and she gave him a clueless look. "Confused? Well, Toriel there, she poisons all humans that come through. To make them stay, of course. Guess she didn't quite get the dosage right with you, seeing as you're not bedridden. The way out is through her basement, friend. You can't scale the wall here."

His voice was so casual, but she felt sick for now two reasons.

"I could help you, seeing as Toriel will probably be here in a few ticks. All you've gotta do, is do me a favor when we get out of the ruins. That possible?" He looked nonchalant, as if he was proposing that he could loan her a few bucks if she mowed his lawn.

Hesitantly, she nodded.

"Great, 'cuz here she comes."

Looking over her shoulder, she saw Toriel. Her previously kind, though not exactly sane , eyes had turned wild and bloodshot with her insanity. Obviously she'd fallen in the same place as she had, since her white fur was knotted more than usual and was also matted in those decaying leaves. Her dress was torn more than usual. Her claws were extended, as if to grab her roughly and drag her back 'home'.

The ferret, however, had a plan.

He pulled out a stone and threw it so that Toriel's foot landed on it in her dash, and made her body slip out from under her legs. She landed hard on the ground, sprawled out. As she was stunned, he dashed past on all fours, so she followed, looking warily at Toriel as if she would jump out and grab her leg as she passed.

They dashed and leaped over all of the puzzles she'd worked so hard to get through the first time. The ferret seemed to have the crumbling-floor puzzle memorized, so she stuck to where he'd stepped and they made it through. A larger, second hole there indicated where Toriel had fallen in, not too far from her own mistake.

It was a lot quicker since the sickness she had been feeling wasn't as intense, and the fact she knew that Toriel could be on them at any second renewed all adrenaline, putting an extra kick into her leg's muscles. She used that to full advantage to keeping up with the agile ferret.

They arrived at the front of Toriel's house in just three minutes. She could hear Toriel's screams for them to stop not too far behind, so he opened the door and sprinted inside. He jumped over the banister and down the stairs into a basement, so she followed, going around the banister instead of over it.

In the basement, the scent of overwhelming earth and the seemingly compressing walls made her skin crawl. The ferret kept running along, so she did follow, but she thought about the possibility of turning back and just facing her wrath. How was going deeper into the earth going to lead to any kind of escape? It seemed unlikely, but the ferret was probably right about scaling the wall.

There was a sharp turn, and they came to a set of heavy doors. "Can't open these, so could you try? Be snappy about it, too, or my pelt's going on the wall and you're going on a dinner plate." He sat down on the dusty ground, and she walked up to the doors. She took one of the handles, and pulled backwards with all of her might.

Those doors felt like she was trying to drag an elephant wearing jewelry made out pure diamond blocks.

That could probably be contributed by her fatigue from all of the running she'd been doing, and the fact that she was poisoned, but she had to get them open. She struggled with it for what seemed like forever, the impending doom of Toriel's wrath ever-present, but then the doors clicked open and she dragged it open enough so that she could squeeze through.

The ferret was right behind her.

Toriel's screams reached through the door as it started to creak shut. "NO! COME BACK HERE! RIGHT  _NOW!_ " Her screams became more insane as it closed, so they became muffled, though she could make out the most of it.

"I-IF YOU COME BACK I PROMISE I WON'T HARM YOU!"

"Y-you can trust me!"

"... Please."

"Don't leave me here."

"I'm... so alone..."

"C-come back."

Her voice broke down as she realized she was defeated. No way would she come back through that door, back to her arms, back to the poisoned food she had been offered. She reminded herself she would find a way to get Toriel out of there, but for that moment, she would have to stay put.

She couldn't go back through that door, no matter how much her chest now ached. She'd always helped people at the cost of herself, but going back to Toriel might kill her. If she was stuck underground in a place like that for who knows how long, she might end up going crazy herself, so she couldn't blame her. If she wasn't so unpredictable she might've stayed.

But now that she was out, she wasn't going back. She had a surface to get back to. She looked ahead, down the tunnel. A deathly cold breeze whisked through and hit her like a jagged ice spike, and she shivered, glad she was wearing long sleeves. The tunnel became lighter as it progressed farther, from what she could see.

The ferret started walking down it, and she followed. Her adrenaline was now nonexistent, so she was pressing on out of sheer will, no matter how tantalizingly good collapsing on the ground and sleeping would have been. It got colder as they walked, so if she did stop she had the chance of getting hypothermia. The last time she slept seemed like a distant memory that mocked her.

"The name's Morningstar, by the way," he said as they walked, sparing her a look.

"I'm (Y/n). Thank you for uh... throwing that rock and leading me here," she replied. "I probably would have died."

"Pretty much all do, so I've given you the gift of time. I'll tell you what I want when we reach the next door." They passed through a little room with a patch of grass not unlike the patch when she'd first met Flowey. The remembrance of how Toriel had killed him hit her, and she fought back tears. He was just about the help her, and maybe she wouldn't have gotten poisoned if he'd lived.

Now, she had this ferret.

They exited the next pair of doors, and came onto the outskirt of a snowy forest. The ceiling reached so far above she couldn't see it except for what seemed like a black abyss above, dotted with the glowing of crystals that seemed like stars. She couldn't see any walls to the left nor right either, so the overwhelming earth musk wasn't as strong. She finally had some breathing room.

Even though she didn't understand how, there was snow everywhere. It was even snowing lightly, without any clouds. She assumed it was probably something to do with magic, so she wouldn't question it out loud. How trees grew there without sunlight puzzled her as well, but again, she wouldn't question it.

Undergrowth wasn't real thick around the area, but it was there. A particularly thick bush was off to their left. It made the forest that stretched out sight seem darker and more ominous, making more twitching and rustling shadows. Even wind existed down there, chilling her through her hoodie.

Up ahead was what seemed to be a ravine that stretched at least a few feet across, with a bridge going across it. It had bars, but they were much too wide to stop anything from getting through them, unless you were huge. Past that was a sentry station that was empty, between the path they were on and crossroads farther up the trail.

The whole place seemed dark and empty, like it swallowed life then froze it, showing it off for the world to see how dead it could be. The ferret took a few steps in, then turned around, getting on his hind legs. "In return for helping to guide your escape, all I want is your soul."

"... You're kidding me, right?... You're not kidding." He looked unamused, his little ears twitching as he studied her. He now didn't seem as nice as before, though she tried not to think too much about that. ".. Not like anything ever fucking makes sense in this place anyway, guess there has to be such a thing as souls, too. Why would you even want mine? What would you do with it? Will it kill me?"

"I mean, I don't think it'll kill you," he replied.

"... Reassuring," she muttered.

"Souls here do exist. They're the very culmination of our beings, you see. I want your soul because my mentor would like to see.. well, none of your business. I don't think taking it away from your body will kill you, it mostly just puts you guys into a trance, though I guess unless I hid you, you would probably die if anybody found you, or you'd just die of natural causes, like hypothermia. So I'll hide you somewhere warm, I guess? Want to see yours?"

".. Sure?" This didn't seem very safe, but she did owe him. He helped her escape, so she trusted him... somewhat.

With a grabbing motion to empty air, a heart was pulled out of her chest, leaving her body with a sickening  _pop_ sound she didn't like. It was slightly bigger than her fist, and a brilliant, emerald green coloration. It lit up the surrounding area as well, and he seemed impressed as he looked at it.

Bringing it to himself, he looked over it. "That's a very violent shade of green you've got there. Stands for kindness. And large, too, but I suppose it's expected because you're an adult. Or maybe you've just got a lot of determination, I wouldn't know. Wonder how much we could extract."

A very sudden, spiking fear filled her entire being at what he'd last spoken. The fact he had it so close to himself and it wasn't in her chest seemed just outright wrong. She needed to fix it immediately. It flew back into her chest, making her stumble backwards, a squishing noise as it settled back into her flesh being heard, though no pain of anything burrowing inside.

Recovering from the shove, she looked up at the ferret, who was stunned for the moment. "... Did I say you could do that? Give it here," he ordered.

Shaking her head, her puffs of breath came out looking like smoke as they condensed in the air. She glanced around, looking for a sort of escape route from the ferret. Maybe she could outrun him and his grabby paws. Whatever it took to get him the hell away from her soul.

"Give it here," he ordered, more sternly. After shaking her head again, she sprinted off to the right, into the concealing shadows of the forest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 14 pages, woot. Sorry if this chapter is, uh, rushed or seems off in any way. I'm kind of excited to get to the next few chapters, and this just had to be put out there before anything else could be done. I tried to make it look as nice as I could, but I still don't like it very much, so please excuse me for that. This has gotten pretty popular on AO3, more popular than Ain't No Human, kind of my main fic that I'll admit I haven't worked on in a few weeks. Sorry 'bout that.
> 
> Seems like you can't trust anyone here, huh? No matter how nice a front they put up. Yet kindness souls never loose hope and faith in the belief that others will repay their good deeds. Maybe she'll come across someone who's genuine, or she'll change someone's heart. Open their minds to being kind.
> 
> We'll see.


	5. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The chapter where she meets a monster who's friendly, despite his profession.

"Hh, h... shit," she cursed, a sharp branch stabbing into her calf as she dragged her leg across a bush as she started to slow. Her breath came out as panting, her chest heaving as it fought to get well-needed oxygen to her aching muscles. Her eyes were kind of droopy as she felt her legs about to give way, but she shook her head to make herself more alert as she came to a stop, slamming her side into a dead oak tree's trunk to lean and take a rest.

Her breath came out as white billows, thick enough so they looked like fog. Her hands and legs trembled and shook, so she struggled to keep them still. The forest was nearly dead silent, any signs of life beside her nonexistent; no crunching of the layers of snow and dead vegetation underfoot, no birds. Nothing. The cold sunk below the layers of her clothes, sinking into her skin, but she barely noticed it over the heat that flushed over her after the run.

Everything was stifling, but at least the overpowering, suffocating smell of earth was not nearly as strong as it was in the Ruins. Things were much more spread out, to the point she couldn't see a wall or ceiling, but that came with the downside of being very easily lost. Which way was forward; which way was back? Her messy, dragged trail of footprints she knew would leave back to the trail, but she refused to go back there.

She would not hand over her soul, just because he helped her escape. She wouldn't.

Now the task at hand was maybe the hardest one she would have to do. Hypothermia and frostbite were both very high concerns in a dark, snowy forest like the one she was in. So easy to get lost in, and she wasn't ever really good at keeping a sense of direction without markers. She would have to hope she would stumble across something that could keep her away from the grasp of death, at least until she reached the end of this cursed cavern.

First thing to find was a place to sleep where she wouldn't die. Rest was something she needed, desperately, to be able to think and get through it. If she wasn't careful about where she slept, she could easily die, and her body wouldn't be found by anyone... her parents would be worried sick.

Having caught her breath, she stood up fully, and looked back where she'd come from, then ahead. Then after a few moments of indecision, she started walking forwards, trudging through the underbrush and weaving between trees and their roots. Snowflakes came down between the dead branches to add a fresh coat, worrying her about finding her path back to the trail.

No, she couldn't go back there. She could find someplace further into the woods.

There had to be  _somewhere._

Of course there was somewhere, but all she had to do was find it.

The undergrowth that crowded in the spaces that the trees didn't cover started to thin out the farther she walked. The snow that was drifting down began to collect on the branches of the bushes, and she watched as a weak branch of what seemed like a well-dead holly snapped under the weight of snow and crumbled to its roots. Setting her gaze forwards, she trudged onwards.

Everything seemed so silent and wound up. The snow she treaded on was pure, without any prints or traces of ever being disturbed. The trees started to thin after a little while longer of her walk, the undergrowth almost completely having disappeared, only the occasional branch or dead fern sticking out of the snow layer as if trying to reach up and grasp at her torn jeans.

The cold continued to steadily seep into her clothes, and with the warmth of her sprint gone, it started to make a difference. The tears and jagged paces of missing fabric from her hoodie started to become much more apparent to her, but she couldn't do anything about it. Her eyes scanned the areas at her sides to see if there was any clearings, or caves, anything. She found none.

Rubbing her hands across the sides of her arms in a few quick motions, she got a bit of heat from the friction, then did the same to the front and back of her thighs, then paused a moment to do it to her calves. She breathed onto her hands for another round, then forced herself to continue, since she had no time to spare. The momentary warmth was enough to keep her going longer, though, and the slightly sharper nip of the cold that came after kept her alert.

She broke out of the treeline.

The ground started to abruptly go uphill, and the ground under the snow was rocky and much more uneven, though the layer of snow was less thick-set without the dead vegetation to pad it. She started to clamber up the little hill, to reach the top where it plateaued for two feet before the land dripped into a huge ravine.

Little blue and white sparkling gems encrusted the cavern wall that seemed miles past the cliff edge; it went high, many miles above her head, and disappeared when it went over the treeline to continue the ceiling that arched way above. There were gaps in the ceiling around the edges, that looked like they had been frozen over with thick sheets of ice, so thick that she almost didn't notice them against the rest of the ceiling except for the fact there weren't gems in those patches.

Peering down the ravine, the gems gradually faded out as they got farther down. It seemed to go down much deeper than where the ceiling went up, and it reached to either side as far as she could see. The thought of falling down the ravine made her gulp, and she took a step backwards from fear of losing her balance. Taking a deep breath, she watched as the little cloud of white trailed upwards towards the arching ceiling, then her gaze shifted to her feet.

Looking to either side of herself, she spotted a little trail leading into the woods to her right, marked by the upturned and churned snow and earth, and dug-up pebbles and stones. Half sticking up from under a rock was a scrap of shedded snake's skin, though it looked somewhat like plastic because it was clear and a sickly kind of gray color. Cautiously, she started walking towards the entrance to the path.

At the treeline, she peered down the path as far as she could see. It continued for what looked like a good thirty feet, then made a right turn and disappeared behind the trees and undergrowth that thickened in that area. She started to make her way down the trail, keeping and eye around her, anxiety creeping into her and tugging at the edges of her sanity that she wasn't sure she had anymore.

Shadows loomed further onto the trail, making seeing ahead slightly more difficult. She could almost see faces looking at her from the shadows, but with the shake of her head they were gone, and she knew they were just her mind tricking her from all her panic. She wondered if there was a day and night cycle, but she figured she would know soon enough.

She just hoped she wouldn't be lost in the woods when the time came that she wouldn't be able to see at all.

See-through icicles hung off of the undersides of branches, the edges so sharp she winced at the sight of them. The falling snow added weight to the branches they were perched on, and one snapped, sending an icicle falling and almost impaling her foot if she hadn't moved it in time. Her heart thudded in her chest as she fought to relax herself again.

Now as she walked she swerved around all of the big icicles that hung down, creating a set of uneven footprints on the path. She finally reached the sharp turn, and noticed a log that had been stabbed into the snowy ground, sticking up like a pole. It was rotting and decaying, the bark and insides looking soft enough and ready to fall apart, and the scent made her nose scrunch.

Bite marks littered the sides of it, but seemed old since it hadn't torn off chunks of the soft, squishy bark with it, more like imprints from long ago before it had aged that way. They all were snake bites, the sizes varying bite to bite, and some sinking deeper into the log than others. She wondered what provoked them to bite it, before turning and heading where the path led.

Wiping her hand across her nose as if to wipe away the smell of the decaying log, she looked down and froze.

Laying across the path was a python, though she couldn't tell what species. It was smaller than any other python she'd ever seen, and was dark brown mottled with tan markings its back. Because of the cold weather and it being a cold-blooded reptile, a crude machine was attached to its skin, that seemed to act like a heater. Layers of un-shed dead skin which it should have shed stuck up around where it plunged into its scales.

Its jaws were slightly open as it breathed, and a foamy liquid was coming out of its nostrils and mouth. The inside of the mouth looked like it was rotting, and the smell that greeted her with the image made her gag. Black dots that looked like ticks coated its scales as well, and whole colonies of the mites festered across its body. The sides of it caved in, showing it probably hadn't eaten in a long time.

The poor snake looked a little more than half dead.

Crouching down beside the unfortunate creature, she looked over it again. ".. what happened to you?.. Poor thing," she wanted to pick it up, comfort it, but she knew that was a really bad idea. Tears pricked the corners of her eyes at how gruesome it looked, and her heart swelled in sadness as she looked over it.

"Usually humans would go running for the hills at the sight of one of my snakes. Snake lover?" A voice queried from behind. She flinched and jolted at the sudden voice, and looked over her shoulder at who'd spoken.

It was an arctic fox monster. He was only slightly bigger than she imagined one would be, and stood on his hind legs. His white fur was almost pure-colored, but was rugged in most areas and some patches were missing fur, though there weren't a lot of those. His face, neck, chest, and shoulders were coated in snake bites, like the log she'd seen earlier. His brown-ish amber eyes held a slight look of surprise and kindness, which she hoped he would act on.

He wore a simple belt carrying prongs, a couple vials of liquid she didn't recognize, and a hunter's knife that looked sharp enough to cut the air itself. His mouth was slightly curved, as if he couldn't decide to smile or not.

"... I'm not really a snake  _lover,_  but I do like snakes. I like all animals, really. What happened to this one? You said it was yours, right? Don't you.. take care of them?" She tried not to sound accusing, since she really didn't want to offend him, but she was kind of mad that someone who owns an animal would let them end up like the one that was on the ground in front of her.

He got on all fours and padded past her, to inspect the python laying on the snow. The heating machine had melted the snow around it, and the slight steam was drifting upwards, going past her face and spreading the smell of burnt water into her nostrils. "I try to, but I've got a lot to care for, and with very little to do so with. This timoriensis here, he's one of the ones that I let crawl away to die, since he's... beyond my repair. I suppose I ought to take back this heater, a new batch of eggs hatched recently and when they grow I need to give the biggest one a heater and I've run out of the materials required to make one at the moment."

She gagged at the thought, and he glanced up at her. "What? Squeamish? That won't do you any good down here, human. But you know what? I would normally send one of my bigger snakes to hunt you down and bring to me to cut you up to make feed for the snakes, especially if they try to run, but... I haven't met another person who's cared for snakes in a long time. I could also use the extra help in taking care of them, so they don't end up like this python here."

Before she could respond, he stood up on his hind legs again after picking up the snake and set it so it hung limp around his thin shoulders. "How about it?"

"I-I... suppose..." His expression brightened, and he looked rather friendly, his mouth curving into a full smile on his muzzle.

"Great. I was gonna kill you if you'd refused," he'd said the last part so casually she'd almost missed it, but then she was relived she hadn't. He turned, and started trotting down the path, and she started to follow as she assumed she should do. "Hope ya don't mind eating dead tree bark, because that's all I really have to offer you, and I've only a little amount so you'll have to get more yourself. There's a little creek where I get water, so no need to worry too much about that - unless it freezes, then you might get only a few sips a day. But it hasn't frozen over for a month or so, so don't worry about it for now."

She just nodded along, half-listening. Maybe being stuck down there wouldn't be too bad, if people as kind as him existed down there. Or he was tricking her and was bringing her to feed to his snakes... she pushed the thought away from her mind, telling herself how great it would be to care for animals, and to have somewhere to sleep, and something - even if it wasn't much - to eat and drink.

That seemed like luxury in a place like that, so she would take what she could get. Whatever it was.

"By the way, my name's Taki. How'd you end up down here?"

His question caught her off guard, but she did her best to answer as they continued walking. "... I was just taking a night walk, since I love those, and.. I found a cave in the side of this mountain. I stood on the edge of a ravine in the back of it, trying to see down, when vines grabbed my ankles and dragged me down. I've still got a life up on the surface, a good one, and.. I miss it, but I guess my fate is now down here, isn't it, Taki?"

He chuckled slightly. "Glad to see a human who finally gets it. The few determination souls that fall usually never stop trying to get back, and they die the quickest. Personally, I've never had the pleasure of a kindness soul falling, like yourself. I wish more fell, because some of the humans that fall are rather... rude to everyone. Bet you've never said a mean word to anyone your entire life, eh, human?"

He continued without giving her a chance to speak. "It's nice to talk down here, keeps your mind off that pang in your stomach. What was your job on the surface? I'm gonna take a good guess and say you had one, since you said your life was going well."

"I'm enrolled in a medical school, and when I graduate I'm going to hopefully be a doctor. I suppose I won't be one now, since I'm down here, but I guess I'm still knowledgeable enough to serve as a makeshift doctor down here if... I'm needed. I doubt that anyone would want that, though. I'm only on my second year, first semester, and I'm only halfway through that. It isn't much," she sighed.

"Think you might know enough to be a makeshift vet?" Taki glanced over his shoulder at her.

"If you have any books on snake health," she replied after a moment of thought.

Taki chuckled. "I have two. One's for my regular snakes, and the other is for my magic ones."

"Did you say  _magic snakes_?"

~

His cabin wasn't anything special, and looked like it probably had only one room from the front. The walls were logs, and the roof was thatched, and the path turned to full gravel before ending at the rickety stairs that led up to the small porch in front of the home. It had no windows. It looked abandoned, since vines crawled up all over the sides, unchecked, and what she was pretty sure was poison ivy made up a huge patch to one side of the house.

Unlike the rest of the woods, there was some actual living vegetation around the cabin. The stream had something to contribute to that most likely, since she could see some of it behind the thick trunk of an oak. Vines also criss-crossed up the wall the cabin was settled against, in a spider-web pattern. A few of the glowing gems stuck out of the rock, and she looked up to no surprise to see the wall the cabin was against was one of the walls of the cavern, though it became too dark to see where it connected to the roof.

"It's bigger on the inside," he assured, and walked up the steps and to the porch, the snake on his shoulders frothing a bit of liquid onto his fur. She followed, stepping inside after he opened the door.

He was right.

What they had walked into was a single room cabin, but the wall behind it opened into a vast cavern. On the cabin flooring seemed to be where he actually lived. In the corner was a den, a woven ceiling of leaves, moss, and ferns over a padding of wool and feathers. The opposite had what seemed to be a cooking area, with a burner settled on a large stone plate settled on the floor next to what looked like a tiny fridge which was closed.

There were various tools in an open box in the back of that cabin room, set against a half-wall of stone that acted like a counter between the two rooms. On that counter were various pieces of machinery in the making, that seemed like the heating machine that was in the python's scales, though they were missing pieces. Vials were stacked in another box nearby to that one, filled with more liquids she couldn't identify, and bundles of plants she also couldn't identify.

Getting on all fours, he started padding into the cavern, and she followed.

It was even bigger when she stepped inside. There were all sorts of ledges and trails leading up to what seemed like balconies higher along the walls, and alcoves and dips in the stone added more texture to the place. There was a jagged hole in the ceiling, and below that a pool of water, though it didn't seem very edible for the fact that it had some sort of murky black tint to it, and looked somewhat like on the bottom it was coated in sludge.

Machines were settled into the walls, running on something she could only assume to be magic. Most of them were what she assumed to also be heaters, since that cavern was very warm compared to the forest, and it ebbed the cold out of her body comfortably. The others were still, and not on, so she wondered what they did.

In the very back of the cavern was a huge alcove, and it was lined with stone shelves. Delicate tools were put onto those shelves, alongside various other items like bowls, knives, rags, and what looked like surgery equipment, and then on some of the lower shelves there were plenty of books.

Lights were embedded into the ceiling, giving the whole room an indirect kind of glow, to where you could see easily but the lights weren't harsh. Vines were inside the cavern, winding their ways up the walls and connecting most of the ledges, even twirling around the machines, though near the heaters they wilted and died. Flowers sometimes sprouted from the vines, though there weren't enough to notice off the bat. Gems also stuck out of the walls and ceiling, though didn't give off much of a glow as the others did.

Multiple large spaces in the back were hollowed out areas filled with loose dirt or sand, and she could see more than just a few entrance to burrows and tunnels in them; some were even packed into the sides of the walls, and somewhere close to the right there was a tunnel leading to a smaller cavern that was full of loose dirt.

Snakes were everywhere.

She couldn't recognize nearly all of them, but she could tell which ones were poisonous and which ones weren't. They were climbing along the vines, they were burrowing into the loose earth and sand, they were lounging near the heaters or under the lights, on ledges, a few were risking taking little laps in the pool in the center. Most of them had those little heaters the little python he was holding had, and very few seemed healthy.

All except for maybe six of them looked starved, and all except for around eighteen of them had some sort of disease or parasite. None of them were in as bad in a condition as the little python, but some were pretty close. Those ones were laying motionless near the sludge pool, as if waiting for death to take them, to offer as food to the remaining snakes. It made her gag a little, but she tried to ignore them.

Near a heater in the back were multiple nests woven out of sticks, and there was a clutch of eggs. In a tray of shredded bark and bits of soil were multiple baby snakes, who seemed to be anacondas. He seemed to have a preference for that type of constrictor; there were five of them milling about, and they seemed to be some of the best health-wise. Even if he liked anacondas, he seemed to like venomous snakes more, since they made up a majority of the population, and his favorite of those seemed to be cobras.

"... Those cobras won't attack me, will they?" She asked, eyeing a curious one as it approached them, rearing its head and showing off the flaps of skin around it.

"Nah. If they do, I got antidote for it, but don't worry about that. They'll become pretty friendly in a few days if you're nice to them, and I'm pretty sure you'll do just that." He set down the python on a ledge before leading her towards the back of the room, to the bookshelf. He trudged through a group of what looked like rat snakes, who flickered their tongues at her as she skirted past them.

Taki paused as they came to a five-headed anaconda, who was resting, basking under a heating machine on a ledge just beside the bookshelf. It seemed to be the biggest of the anacondas from what she'd seen of them, and she had no idea how she'd missed that one. A scar ran across its center head, across the top of its snout, and another going across the side of its mouth on the one to its left. It seemed the most well-fed. One thing she noticed as that it had no heater.

"This is Lucullus, he's kind of the leader of my snakes here. He's one of those magic snakes I mentioned. Other than his five heads, he can retain his own heat somewhat better, so when he goes out he doesn't need a heater if he's not gone longer than a few hours. He can speak telepathically, too, but he rarely does. Too much effort, I guess. If you want to not get bitten, I recommend sticking by good 'ol Lucullus."

His white ear flicked as he starting rooting through the books, pulling out two of them and offering them to her. They looked worn and dog-eared a lot, some of the pages yellowed and slightly wilting, and the cover seemed kind of decayed, but still in better condition than some of the books she'd kept. She took them from him, testing how heavy both of them were.

"You look about ready to fall over, so just pick an open spot amid the snakes and take a rest. Lucullus, I'm putting you in charge of her - she's going to act as a vet to the sick snakes, like you wanted me to but I have to remind you,  _I don't have the time._  You know how hard it is to keep track of so many snakes? She's gonna do that for me. A human who isn't afraid of snakes finally fell, and I'm gonna take full advantage of this situation. I've gotta go remove the heater from that little runt timoriensis that wandered off a few days ago, find her somewhere to sleep."

With that, the fox left, leaving her with two books in her hands a five-headed anaconda. She looked at the anaconda, then down at the books, looking at the covers. One was titled  _'Magic Snakes - In-Depth Care and Health'_ and the other was  _'Snake Care and Health 101'._

The cover of the magic snakes book was black, with a gold-print two-headed snake silhouette on the front, spitting venom to the side. The cover of the normal snakes book had a picture of the caduceus, otherwise known as the staff belonging to the Greek god Hermes, the messenger of the gods, conductor of dead, and protector of merchants and thieves. The staff with two snakes curled around the staff with the pair of wings on the top.

She looked back up to Lucullus, who was looking at her. A voice echoed from the back of her mind, monotone but dragged out enough to have a slight hiss to it.  _"Come with me, I know a good lounging spot. I've been telling Taki to get someone to be our doctor for ages..."_  Blinking in surprise, she watched as the anaconda turned and started to slither off of the ledge, heading along the wall.

Moments after, she began to trail after it, hoping the spot would be comfortable enough for her to actually fall asleep in. Nothing looked comfortable enough to act as any sort of bed, but she would have to make-do. She got her task she had set for before night-time - get somewhere warm to sleep where she wouldn't freeze to death. She remembered the cold out of the outside, forgotten since the warming hug of the cavern, and looked down to her hands which were mildly numb and red, but at least weren't black with frostbite.

For a huge anaconda, Lucullus was decently fast, though she could still easily keep up with walking speed. He was leading her along the wall, and a few snakes slithered out of the way as he approached. One of the other anacondas, which was almost as big as he was, just moved their tail out of the way so they could pass, as if they weren't as intimidated. One of his heads gave the anaconda a hiss, but it didn't react at all.

A minute later, they were in front of an empty alcove, the bottom padded with moss and feathers. A king cobra had been curled up under the feathers in there, but one look at the anaconda sent it slithering out and away.  _"Here. This is usually where he puts babies who can't help but keep biting things and are clumsy about it, so they don't break and shatter their teeth or jaws on solid stone."_

It looked comfortable enough, and as an added bonus a heating machine was just a few feet away. "Thank you," she muttered out loud, and Lucullus slithered up the stone to lounge on a ledge nearby to the alcove, closer to the heat. She put the books down in front of the alcove, and hesitantly started to crawl inside, having to duck her head to not hit on the low ceiling.

It was... cozy. A little too cozy, but she wouldn't complain. She kept her claustrophobia at bay by sticking her face out of the alcove, her cheek padded on a pile of blue-tinted and white-edged feathers. She took a few deep breaths, and told herself to get some rest. She would need it.

~

_Void pushed at her body, keeping her curled into a ball, the way she'd fallen into slumber. At the same time, it wasn't there, like a ghost trying to compress her into a ball. Her eyes opened, but she couldn't see a thing through the inky blackness that surrounded her. The void also seemed to fill her lungs, so she couldn't inhale or exhale at her own pace, but it did force her into up and down motions to keep her breathing._

_Then after what felt like years, it let her go, and her body slumped out of the position until she was sprawled on what seemed to be a floor. She breathed at her own pace, but she couldn't hear it. She couldn't hear anything, actually. The silence she had started to know personally filled her ears, suffocating that sense like her sight, and she fought down panic. It was becoming a skill she knew how to use well, like a carpenter fine-tuned to making delicate, intricate strokes of the blade._

_A figure approached from the distance, its steps on the phantom ground shaking everything, alerting all of her senses. When it drew closer, she could hear its steps, and it sent shudders each time up her body from her spine to the skin of her belly. She struggled to sit up on the phantom ground, trying to get a view on the figure, but it was slow to come into focus._

_When it did come into focus, her heartbeat stopped, then started up faster than ever before._

_It was the skeleton of a dragon. It stood much taller than she, even with its posture. It walked mainly with its hind legs, though was hunched over to the point where its front claws grazed the ground, being dragged along as it stomped. Its neck drooped as if holding its head up took more effort than possible for it to give, and the skull slightly pointed downwards._

_Its massive tail dragged across the ground, limper than its neck. The neck craned to the side, and the tip of its snout dipped to touch the ground then bobbed back up again as another step jolted the body into stiffness for a second. The teeth were jagged and sharp, yellowed as well like the rest of its bones. The tops of the vertebrae stuck out of its back, some of them snapped off and the tops almost as ragged as the teeth._

_Hollow, empty sockets stared at her as it drew closer and closer. Long horns stuck out of the back of is cranium, a few feet long, and curved inwards at the edges to face each other. The skull itself was very narrow, the end of the snout pointed. The nasal cavities that lined the sides were massive, though she couldn't see through to the other side thanks to what was holding the thing together._

_Every bone was held in place to form that skeleton by what seemed like tar. Most of it was congealed in the ribcage, pressing at the edges and dripping down and disappearing into the gaping void. Every step sent a ripple through the more liquid parts, and globs and drops came in bigger groups. The tar seemed endless, so no matter how much dripped out, it would be replaced almost instantly._

_It seeped between the cracks and spaces of each bone, using the skeleton as a sort of vessel for it to manipulate like a puppet. This form of marionette was not the kind one would like to see at a puppet show, however, and the puppeteer seemed like some sort of malicious force._

_As it got even closer, it paused just a few feet away, and the front half rose a few inches farther off the ground. The bottom jaw of the skull fell ajar, unhinging beyond what would be possible for a living being unless they had the jaws of a snake, or a severely broken jaw. She watched as a small portion of tar ran its way from the ribcage, up its neck, then pooled where its mouth would be._

_What came out of it was the worst noise she had ever heard. It sounded like a masculine voice, but they were buried six feet under in a chasm of water, drowning and screaming with all of its might with a sore throat. It grated, too, and the image her mind offered her was vocal cords being rubbed vigorously against a cheese grater while water was poured into it and air was blown through._

_She could barely make out the words it got out. " **n Ev**eR s **e** T.. i **I** Ii.. **fI r**e." Parts of the sentence were gargled beyond the point of understanding, and what she did catch she could barley decipher in her mind. One of the words was partial, a gargle mess of what sounded like the letter 'i', and it was so drawn out. It paralyzed her nonetheless, and she stared up in fear at the creature of nightmares._

_It took another step forwards, a large glob of the tar landing on the ground, and this time it didn't sink, leaving a concealed mass of black squirming around on the semi-ground the void had offered her, and now the creature. She gagged as the smell of death, decay, and some other scent she couldn't identify invaded her nostrils. It took another step, now only three feet between them. A bigger glob landed on the ground, and squirmed even more feverishly than the last._

_Her mouth was slightly open in what would've been a scream, but the void stole the air from her lungs, and it came out silent. One last step, and now the creature toward over her, the last step sending a ripple through the tar. She could now see detail she couldn't see previously. Outlines of organs pulsed and beat in the tar, submerging and others taking their place in a disgusting cycle._

_The ripple sent a large glob dripping out from between its ribs, and it landed onto her leg. It burned through her jeans like acid, and began to settle into her skin. The void continued to stifle her screams of agony as it burrowed under her skin and spread out over her leg, infesting it like a parasite. The creature's heavy claws grasped at her shoulder and belly, ripping upwards as if trying to pick her up._

_It failed, leaving long, shallow gashes where it had gripped her. Tears streamed down her face at the pain, and the creature took another step forwards, the cycle repeating, and this time the glob landing onto her chest. She grasped at it with both her hands, trying to get it off of her, but only a partial amount began to stick into her hands and burrowed into the skin there; the rest continued to burn through her hoodie, then her bra, then into her chest cavity._

_That was the worst pain she had ever thought she could have felt. She felt it burn through her flesh, and then through her ribs, until some of the tar touched her heart. It stopped beating at that single touch, and everything faded to black..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for not updating in, like, forever. To make up for it this was 3-4 pages longer than I usually make the chapter, at 17.1 pages. A lot went through my life recently, such as my pet snake dying and then having to turn in his dead body for a replacement... and now my current snake has something wrong with her eye that's preventing her from eating. Her eye is what inspired this chapter, actually.
> 
> Because of her eye I'd done a lot of research on snake diseases, and that python I had given almost everything I could think of. I'm sorry, little python. Some people must die for the cause, I suppose.
> 
> This is not the last time you will see this dragon, and that message should act as a warning, even though quite a few of the words are missing. I'm curious to see if anybody understands the warning, since it's... pretty important, but I made it pretty confusing.
> 
> I hope you guys liked Taki! He's a snake charmer, and is actually a pretty kind person, if they're nice to his snakes. Usually he keeps them in very good condition, but this is Horrortale, so you know I gotta do it to em.


	6. Halloween Special

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Archive wouldn't let me post this on Halloween, so just... pretend it's still Halloween, I guess.

The crescent moon shone from between the clouds, just above the peak of Mt. Ebott. There were barley any clouds in the sky, showing off everything the night skies had to offer viewers below. The forest around Mt. Ebott, and the moors a few miles to the west and reaching up the peak, they seemed to glow silver under the lighting. Glowing pumpkin lanterns were hung on the low branches around the treeline to be festive for the holiday.

It was cold enough to create a slight fog on her window pane, but it was easily wiped away to show off the view with her sleeve. Her dorm was on the second floor, with the window facing the mountain, but she couldn't see the campus where she knew her peers would be making mischief in costumes and having little parties on the grounds, to be festive for the holidays.

She was wearing a black sweater that she had slipped on, with black pajama pants and panda slippers. She was sitting at a desk that was against the wall just below the window, the papers and books she had been studying having been pushed off to the sides to make room for her to put her arms. Wrappers from candy she'd bought littered the desktop and some of the bland tan carpeting below, which she kicked further under the desk after she assured herself she'd 'clean it up later'.

A package was sitting on the top of her cleanly made brown bed, the packing peanuts spilling out onto the soft blankets. A note that had been left inside was set off to the side.

_'Happy Halloween! I decided to knit you a sweater, just in case you got cold, honey. I hope you enjoy the holiday, but remember to brush your teeth after eating anything, you of all people know what that'll do to your teeth! Lots of love, Mom.'_

She glanced at the note, then looked back out of the window, nudging around a Snicker's wrapper under her desk with her slippered foot. She let out a sigh, then stood up from her desk, snatching a Tootsie pop before heading out of her bedroom and into the main part of her dorm.

In one corner was a kitchen, and a door leading to her bathroom. The rest of the room was a make-do living room with a single couch, two chairs, a coffee table, and a flatscreen TV on a stand over her XBOX 360 console and games. She unwrapped the lollipop and popped it into her mouth, discarding the wrapper haphazardly on the ground just outside the doorway before walking to the couch.

Settling down on the couch, she fished her Samsung phone out from between the cushions and turned it on, going through her very few notifications. The lock screen showed a bit of a text from her friend, so she unlocked her phone before clicking on it.

New Messages

9:02 PM

_Deer : I'm going out to run around and maybe buy some candy with a few other girls, wanna come?_

_You : No, thank you though_

_Deer : :( Ok_

_You : There's always next year?_

_Deer : Pls?_

_You : Sorry_

She clicked the power button, and placed her phone on the arm of the couch. She pulled her knees up to her chest, placed her chin on her knees, then took a big bite of her Tootsie pop. A loud  _crunch_  reached her ears as her head was slightly tilted upwards since her jaw was against her knees. She looked at the ground, falling over onto her side on the empty part of the couch, before sprawling out and slowly slouching her way onto the carpeted floor.

Landing with a soft  _oomph_  on her back, she plucked the now-barren stick of the lollipop out of her mouth and flicked it across the room, without looking to see where it landed. She was looking up at the ceiling, scrunching up her face in thought. She curled into a ball again, but on the floor.

Minutes later she finally got to her feet, making her way over to the door. She kicked off her slippers and slipped on some old, worn sneakers, then exited her dorm and into the cold, drafty hallway.

Her sneakers made loud smacking noises as she walked down, passing other doors that were empty, no lights showing under the cracks. The end of the hallway was an open staircase, and she could see the open grounds of the campus, where lights were set up and kids far too old to be trick-or-treating running around and doing things the school probably didn't want them to do.

She spotted her friend lounging under the old oak at the top of a hill, with two others. Her friend was dressed in a make-do deer costume, little white dots speckled across her high cheeks and showing off her doe-brown eyes, her light brown hair pulled back into a bun, with little ears sticking out of her head. She couldn't see if she had a tail, but she knew she had one. She had a onesie on, of the deer body, with more white dots along her flank.

One other girl was dressed as a zombie, and the other was a dog. None of them had any unique costumes, except maybe her friend's, but it could still be considered somewhat ordinary. Not that she could do better, she hadn't dressed up at all.

Walking down the staircase, she hoped they wouldn't spot her as she hurried down, hopping the last two steps and landing on the concrete ground. She glanced back at them before skirting around the building and heading towards the treeline. The concrete gave way to dusty, loose dirt that stuck to the soles of her shoes with only specks of grass sticking out from between rock piles.

Heading into the woods, she slipped between the trees, ducking under one of the hanging pumpkin lanterns on the low branch of an ash tree. A few lone crickets were chirping, and the far-away owl letting out their cries. A dog's bark was in the way distance, most likely from outskirts of the city next to the campus. Twigs and fallen leaves crunched under foot and paw of animals and herself, and she enjoyed the moment.

A cold breeze wove between the trunks, and smacked her in the side. She shivered as it reached through her sweater, but she shook it off, and continued walking. As she reached a marker - a lightning-struck tree stump - she'd gone as far as she was willing, and turned to head back. It seemed shorter than the short trek out, but she only went in a few feet.

She glanced over past the building to see her friend and the two other girls running over to her. Letting out a sigh, she plastered a smile on her face and went over to greet them, putting on an excited act to not offend them, saying that she had planned to surprise them by coming all along.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 3.4 pages. Incredibly short, and rushed, but I started this on the 30th, but I will publish it when it is Halloween. This is just a little peek into her life pre-fall, just for funsies. I guess this shows a little personality as well? I guess? I hope you enjoyed anyway, the long-ass chapter 3 kind of made up for this small bit of a demi-chap.
> 
> This is Horrortale, and I had to post something for Halloween, obviously. If I didn't, I would pretty much be a disgrace. Just clump in the count with chapter 3 and it makes 20 pages. Yeet. This will have to be uploaded slightly late onto Archive for the sake of it not fucking working. Fuck you too, Archive. Bitch. That's where, like, all of my readers are! Damn it.


	7. Chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The chapter where we take a break from the main character to see what's going on somewhere else.

Heat radiated from the black stones under paw, visible to the naked eye in distorted waves going upwards and towards the tall ceiling, where all of the gems were hidden by the steam. The edges of the huge platform were lined with yellow and orange melting stones, because an ocean of lava surrounded them, rising trails the only way off of the black valley. A huge chimney rock formation was to the far north of the valley, the edges rough obsidian that could stab someone if they weren't careful; footholds were scattered across on some sides, but nobody was climbing up it.

Monsters milled around the valley, of all different species and varieties. All of them shared something in common. They all were starving to the brink of death, and every hour or so one would fade into a dusty paste from hunger. At that opportunity, lucky nearby monsters got a bite to eat, shoveling down the remains of the fallen monster into their gaping maws, desperate for anything that wasn't rocks. Stupid monsters tried drinking lava, but ended up dusting themselves and most of their remains falling into the lava. Nobody ate in those cases, since burnt dust was too far even for them.

The desperate hungry few that couldn't wait murdered nearby monsters, to eat their dust, trying to fend off others that came in for the spoils. They clutched the remains to their chests, their faces caked in the paste, their eyes wild and hungry, like the rest of them. Some of those were overpowered, and they created a series of turfs around the valley to avoid being killed by others - very few spaces were unclaimed by the murderous ones, and any unlucky monsters in their territory could be killed at any given moment for a meal.

A small mouse monster was perched on top of a small boulder near the southwest corner of the valley, a slightly hotter area that had few monsters for the fact that lava geysers could be set off by a single wrong footstep. His fur was a rugged, dirty brown, matching the rags he wore that were dotted with the dust paste most of them had on them. The remains of what had been a werewolf were at the base of his boulder, and he was scooping up little greedy pawfuls with his long, rat fingers and bringing them to his mouth to eat as fast as he could manage without barfing.

His round ears were torn and ragged, and his body was coated in scars from recent battles. Fresh blood soaked his leg, where he'd gotten a gash from a murderer when he'd stolen the body of a victim. His thin, slimy tail wrapped around the gash across his flank, coming back from the wound slick with blood and more grime. He was trembling in pain and the hunger, but he focused further on getting more of the paste into his maw.

It did little to soothe the ache and pain, but it was the thought of eating that soothed his psyche. The paste tried to stick to everything in his mouth and throat, as if trying to do everything not to go into the endless abyss of his hungry stomach, clawing for any way out of his mouth. His thin, long claws trembled and shook as he groped for what wasn't there, only trace amounts of the dust left on the stone.

His body convulsed and trembled with renewed panic of dying of hunger, one of his eyes sticking shut as he went through a seizure. Every muscle in his body seemed to have a mind of its own, but they all had one goal in mind - to escape from that wretched body they were attached to, go to any place else that could offer energy and magic at all. He fell off of the boulder after it started to hit, thankfully not landing on a geyser.

It passed after a few painfully long minutes, and his mouth refused to close, one of his eyes refusing to open. Foam started frothing from his mouth, spilling out past his lips and wetting the fur around his maw. His body trembled and barely took his weight as he tried to scramble back up the boulder, eventually giving up and falling back onto the ground where the stone burned through his fur and started scorching his skin.

A sudden idea hit him.

He started to shuffle on the ground, until the tip of his tail rested in his mouth. Then with all the force he could manage, he bit down as hard as he could, and with agony he managed to bite off the tip of his tail. Blood gushed from the severed tip, into his mouth that opened again, and he chewed as best as possible before swallowing it. Greed at the newfound food source filled him, and he reasoned he didn't need his tail.

Devouring the rest of his tail, as much as he could reach, his stomach stopped aching. It churned and digested his tail, but left him craving more. His taste buds were long dead, coated in the sheen deadness of the paste, so the taste of blood didn't bother him any. He realized he wouldn't get no more out of his tail, so he turned to eating his hand. His yellow, ragged long teeth plucked everything from the bone that they could, into the needy stomach that urged him to do so.

Before he could eat all the way to his shoulder, he was stopped at the loud noises nearby. Begrudgingly he left his meal, looking up to see many monsters crowding around, just outside of the geyser field he was nestled in. They all had hungry looks on their faces, waiting for him to eat himself to the point of dusting. He let out a furious hiss at them, his arm that was just bone slowly falling to the ground around him as the muscle that connected them had been eaten away, leaving just a stub at his shoulder.

They shuffled, though didn't budge from their spots. It was line to see who was the bravest to approach once he dusted, but they didn't seem keen on testing their luck. All of the monsters waiting looked heavy enough to easily set off a geyser, though he could probably walk across them without a sweat. They all knew that, too, and started to disperse, but staying relatively nearby in case he did walk out so they could catch him.

His body collapsed onto the ground as soon as he'd tried to sit up. Blood was gushing from the stump of his tail and arm, unchecked. The area around him was absolutely soaked, and his fur was coated in it. The heavy, metallic scent was the only thing in his nostrils, and it finally began to soak through the paste and to his tongue. His vision became very spotty as the blood loss got to him, and he struggled to lay down before he collapsed, and his body faded and disintegrated into a pile of dust.

The monsters that had been crowding around came to attention, but none liked the odds of getting to the body without dying first. A deer monster decided they were feeling lucky enough, and she hesitantly began to take steps, trying to avoid what looked like the covered mouth of a hidden geyser. Her fur and skin was started to peel and fall off because of her own famine-induced hunger, and was an unnaturally dull color, having lost all beauty it would have held.

Her beady eyes were focused on the dusty paste as she was a foot away, and she made the fatal mistake of placing a hoof where she shouldn't have. The ground broke way under her foot, and lava shot up from the ground, bringing her upwards before dusting her after her body started to melt. It brought the dusty remains high into the air, showering all those below with it; they struggled to catch any on themselves, to eat what they could.

The lava fell hard to the ground, setting off the other geysers. Monsters cleared the area quickly, not wanting to get caught on the amount that started to seep towards them, like a slow current. That part of the valley was slowly engulfed by the lava ocean, lost to the fire. Only the very top of the boulder the mouse had once crouched on remained, though it was sinking slowly into the lava's melting embrace.

Dust globs that landed on the surface of the lava burst into little balls of flame, sprouting upwards like sparks off of a bonfire, except they stunk with the rank scent of death and dispersed magic. Monsters watched sadly as a meal was lost and parts of what land they had was swallowed, then went to their own devices, to wait for the next monster to dust to provide more food to drag on their suffering.

Everything suddenly was silent, and the monsters parted to make a path leading to the rock formation that towered over the whole valley. Most bowed their heads in respect, while others for one reason for another couldn't; a few's heads would've fallen off at the motion, others had no heads to do so with, or others were already on the ground, so just lowered their gazes to the ground they stood on that was trying to melt them.

Walking on the path made was a creature most would deem only worthy of appearing in the nightmares of children, since they were the only ones with the imagination possible to make a creature. The ground itself shook with every step it took, and the lava rippled like water in a pond would from the sheer force. It seemed to have trouble keeping its upper body up, but was making an effort to, to see more dignified.

It was a dragon skeleton.

Lumbering between two almost solid masses of monsters was the creature of nightmares. The thick, gooey, squirming tar that held the bones together dripped out, making a path in the stone where it had stepped; it slowly sunk between fissures in the flooring, as if going after the magma to possess that, too. The creature's empty sockets stared dead forwards, and its jaw nearly fell open with a particularly heavy step it took when it nearly stumbled over a monster that had fallen over and dusted in its path.

After two minutes, it reached the rock formation. It started to clamber up the rough, sharp stone, sinking its claws into the footholds and making its way up to the top. Monsters started to close up the gap the trail had left, pausing everything they had been doing; one monster in the middle of eating the remains of another had stopped, though protectively stood over the meal they'd fought hard for.

When at the top, it perched there and looked over the masses waiting on it to act. The narrow skull was moved around the tar to try and mimic looking around the masses, though it wasn't done quite right, looking unnatural and adding to the unhinged feeling being around the creature gave every monster below. Most monsters looked up at it in respect and fear, others with devotion and longing; longing to be without need of food.

Then the sharp snout faced upwards, and the jaw was let loose, falling limply and smacking against its neck, nearly sinking into the tar there as it hit it with such a sick  _slap_  that echoed across the near silence that hushed the monsters. Then the tar started to congeal and move towards where the mouth would be, and let out the sound that tried to be a real voice. Slightly masculine, but still straight out of nightmares.

Images of drowning, melting, and screaming from the very bottom of one's lungs were what would come into a person's mind when hearing that voice. It tried to hold a formal speaking tone to it, though it slipped between its clutch as fluid as water, instead sounding more like an irrational screaming.

"Ar **E   _y_** _Ou _ a _l L  ~~h **U**~~_ ~~ **n g _R_**~~ _y_?" Was what it managed to choke out, keeping the sentence in-tact, though barely. The first word had barely made it, trying to morph into the same word as the next - 'you' - but it stayed separate. All of them understood him perfectly, and those who were able screamed in response, a cacophony of various forms of 'yes'. Those who couldn't scream but could still make noise grunted, mumbled, or whisper-shouted their replies, but those were drowned out in the sheer noise of the rest of it.

Seemingly satisfied with the response, his jaw was slowly hoisted shut, the tar dragging it back upwards to settle back under the top of his skull. Everything down below became silent once more, until it suddenly become a roar of "Help me, Zaides!" All of the monsters that could speak screamed at the top of their lungs, some pushing others over, as if trying to get his attention, and trying all at once to focus his attention on them.

Screeching his name at the top of their lungs, they all fought to be chosen by his empty gaze. Desperation shone through each of their desperate cries, a few monsters even offering up children, picking them up and trying not to drop them or crush them in their rush to get noticed by the skeleton looming above like a gargoyle.

Taking a step forwards, he went limp and half-tumbled back down, and the crowd partially made way for where he'd land. He hit the ground with a loud crunching noise, though in just a few moments the tar was pulling and making him push himself up back to his feet, as if he'd just laid down for a moment rest and had to get up again. The entirety of his body shuddered in the effort of standing up, but the tar made him stand up straight to almost his full height, his slouch nearly nonexistent.

A few more strides forwards, he leaned down to look a bunny monster straight in the eyes. She held up a baby bunny in offering to him, and with his long, blunt claws he grasped the baby monster tight in his grip, nearly killing it right there. The monsters went up in a cacophony chorus of cheers and screaming, and the baby started to wail, and Zaides began to wade through the crowd.

He gained speed very quickly, until in his sprint some unlucky monsters barley had time to get away before they were crushed under his foot. A few feet away from the surface, he brought the arm holding the baby monster back, then slung it forwards and released his tight grip on the monster.

Flung forwards, the baby let out a confused wail, before it hit the surface of the sea of lava. A piercing scream left its throat before it melted under the surface, its dust creating a small mushroom cloud of an explosion over the surface, the remains floating back down to be burnt.

Turning tail to face the crowd, the jaw barely opened a sliver before a scream emitted from Zaides. The crowd of monsters screamed with him, yelling insults at the dead baby, and various other things.

"He wasn't strong enough!"

"Didn't deserve to become a god!"

"He died feeding the mass!"

"Hail Zaides!"

Nearby monsters within Zaides' reach were picked up and thrown out into the lava's embrace. All perished, until it seemed to start to rain the dust paste. The living monsters snatched what they could out of air, to eat it before it could disappear into someone else's digestive tract; Zaides looked over the swarm of monsters, keeping his ground and pausing his sacrifices, before slowly slouching back down with creaks and groans from the bones as they shifted back into a slightly more comfortable stance.

The bunny mother ran towards the edge, and leaped off, diving into the lava. She felt her flesh burning and scorching, melting and fading to dust, a laugh ripping from her throat as it filled with her cause of death. Monsters trampled each other to try and get a grab at her remains, like it was a prize. A few shoved others into the lava so they could have more, causing more dust to join the rest in the air as it drifted down like snow.

Snow was cold, and somewhat comforting; dust paste was sticky, wet, though could be eaten.

When it started to calm down again, Zaides started heading towards the path that led away from the valley, where he'd come from. Monsters bowed as he passed them, multiple thanking him loudly for the meal, and giving others the chance of immortality and life without hunger, blessing him for their sacrifice and their release. He didn't respond, passing them wordlessly, and turned to head up the trail that led out of the valley.

~

Waking up with a jolt, she scrambled out of the hole in the wall she was sheltered in, shaking like a leaf being tossed about by harsh winds, or torn by bird's talons. She caught her breath, trying to push the memories of the nightmare out of her mind, though the words it had managed to say were burned into the back of her brain. She glanced over to her side to see Lucullus watching her, the tongues flickering out of three of the head's mouths.

Sighing, she sat against the wall, and took a little inventory. She needed something to drink, since her mouth felt like it had wilted; something to eat would be cool, too. She really needed to use the bathroom, like her bladder wouldn't hold another second, so that was high on the list too. After all that was over and done with, a shower would be nice, but she probably wouldn't get that in a long time, if the state of water in the cave was anything to go by.

When she would finish getting herself in order, she could focus on the snakes. Read up the basics of snakes and how to notice problems, then start helping them, like what she was expected to do. She shakily brought herself to her feet, and glanced around to try and spot Taki. Lucullus' telepathy connected to her, asking a simple question.

_"What do you need?"_

~

She'd gotten a drink of water from the stream Taki had mentioned when Lucullus followed her outside. He had explained Taki was out to go try and get some more metals to make more heaters. She'd then searched around and found a bag of that soft, inner bark that she could eat - it tasted awful, but it was better than starving to death. Dead bark didn't seem like a good meal, but it was to a very empty stomach.

Lucullus got his own drink as she'd run off into a secluded part of the woods to use the bathroom, which she had re-discovered that the heavy flow of her period had just passed. Her underwear had taken a mighty blow, and at Toriel's when she had padded it with toilet paper did little to soften the extreme amount of blood. The lack of nutrition, however, had given it an early end, and all she had to deal with was walking around in the mess, though it wasn't a very top priority.

Then Lucullus had taken her back, and she'd read up on how to tell what was wrong with a snakes, and found some helpful chapters that would come in handy for dealing with the sick snakes, and how to tell what was wrong with them and how to fix it as best as she could be able to. She'd gathered some supplies Taki had stashed in various areas, and set up a makeshift treating area near where she'd slept.

She rubbed her sweaty hands off on the knees of her jeans as she finished laying out moss for padding from the sharp stone floor and all the materials she would need on the ground around her. Already snakes were approaching, probably aware that she was there to help them, and wanting to be the first treated. She grinned nervously as a king cobra made his way to the front, demanding attention.

The cobra was infested with ticks all over his scales, which was his only pressing concern, since the only other thing he had was a little cut across his side that was probably from where he brushed against a sharp stone. He had been taken care of decently well. She got a little alcohol-soaked pad and her tweezers, after she'd read in the book about how to deal with snakes with ticks.

She gently grabbed the first tick by its head, and slowly started pulling it out. When it was out she swiped the alcohol pad over the wound and dropped the tick into a little container of alcohol. She repeated the process with all of the ticks, which was many in just the head area alone; which was around seven. There was at least twenty more on its body.

The work took a lot of effort and great precision, which was somewhat easier with her steady hand. The sheer amount was what was disheartening, as her hand got less steady with the repeated action. She had to hold the snake's head still firmly with one hand as it started to squirm, and it almost bit her if Lucullus hadn't hissed and it went stock still. The little container of alcohol was getting full of ticks.

When she was halfway done she had to pause to start plucking the ticks out of the container with her tweezers, then tossed them into a little crevice in the stone a foot away. It took her a full ten minutes before she finished, then gave him another quick brush with the alcohol pad before pressing it against his cut for a few moments, then sent the cobra off. Another snake instantly took its place, this one with a bad case of mouth rot.

She treated snake after snake, each one seemingly worse than the last, and the treatments getting less and less thorough. She either didn't have the right materials or couldn't do much on such short notice, telling Lucullus to inform them on what to do to recover and gave them an area to rest in with the requirements. Those areas started to fill, and she had to set up another and another.

Snakes continued queuing up, all eager to get some sort of treatment for their various ills. She started to understand why Taki didn't have the time to do this, since he had to find food for them to eat, and take care of all their other various needs. The ones that were on the brink of death because of starvation she had to turn away, which broke her heart, but she told Lucullus to tell them that they would be the first to receive food as soon as there was more, since they were in need of it the most.

Though those snakes kept coming and coming, until it was nearly twenty of them all in dire need of food. A frown made its way onto her face and never left, as she treated the last snake she could at the moment, an albino python who was covered in cuts and had a few ticks. After she sent the python away, she turned to Lucullus, who was lazing in his usual spot. "... Can you go and find Taki to tell him that a lot of snakes are in need of food? Like, ASAP. Please."

_"I can try, but I don't think he can do much about it. Just hope they can hold on for two more days, since that's when Taki finally gets a large amount of food, enough to give some to most of us. Or just hope another human falls and then everyone has a feast."_

"I... okay," she sighed, picking the open book about regular snakes up off of the ground and snapped it shut, placing it on top of the book about magic snakes then placing them against the wall. She started to pack up the makeshift care center and places it near her place for sleep, and then sat back and watched as the snakes she had treated or attempted to treat rested about in recommended places, trying to get comfortable.

Her gaze drifted over to the baby snakes that had hatched that were crowding around in their warm place, in little dips in the walls where they could hide better, where they felt most comfortable. She hoped they would grow up in a better place than what they would currently, maybe even on the surface. That was what she wished for all of them, but the little babies nearly shattered her heart.

 _"You'll care for the babies well, I'm sure,"_  Lucullus attempted to assure, and she just looked down at the ground, studying a little pattern the stone had been grafted to. Little ridges and ends on the stone, gritty little pebbles like sand scattered around that could cut snake's bellies, dips where water from long ago had cut in, and little shards of gems that had broken off from the walls and ceiling.

She looked back up to the ceiling, where gems imitated stars, though much closer than the ones on the ceiling of the main cavern were. "I hope so."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 12.4 pages. Little short, but hey, you just got 17 pages + a 3.4 special! Here's that cult action I promised, and then at the end just showing you how you're doing with Taki's snakes. Poor little things, aren't they? Wish I could adopt them. :( I also hope you guys didn't mind how fucking horrible it is with the cult, especially that bit with the mouse, I went a little... overboard.
> 
> So... yeah, Zaides is an actual living being in this, not just one in nightmares. Fun little thing, isn't he? I'm curious to see what you all think of him, seeing as he'll have a somewhat larger standing in this than you might think, and I want to know how well I've gotten his impression in. It's hard with a character like that to get in what you want if it's not just full-on 'Holy fuck I'm gonna shit my pants' scary.
> 
> I didn't forget about her period, totally. Her pants and underwear are fucking ruined. Where's she gonna get new ones???
> 
> On another note - I've been writing a lot recently, which has me in a pretty good mood! I'm actually doing something P R O D U C T I V E !


	8. Chapter Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The chapter where the second main character is at last introduced, and nobody is happy about it except for very few people, probably.

Cold, running water washed along the smooth stones that lined the brook. They seemed polished of some sort by the flow, their surfaces shining in what little light there was to be seen underground. The brook twisted and turned around in the woods, right out of view and into the thick trees that made up the woods.

Sitting on a boulder next to the brook was (Y/n). One of her legs was pulled up to her chest, while the other dangled off and graced the current with the tip of her shoe. Both of her arms wrapped around the leg curled up at her chest, making her hunched over. Her chin rested on her knee, and her hazy (e/c) eyes observed almost every detail of anything that floated past, whisked by the whims of the creek.

Time down there was a lost concept, though if she had to guess, she would say she had been in that forest for two weeks. It showed radically on her body, and she was almost unrecognizable to anyone who had known her on her surface-dwelling days. The lack of food had caused her belly to cave in and her ribs to protrude out, to the point where it looked like it would ache. The vertebrae slightly stuck out of her back, like fingers trying to escape the confines of her flesh. Heavy bags under her eyes had formed over time, giving her facial expression a certain edge to it that it hadn't had before. Her hair hadn't been brushed, and had been messed up many times during her unpleasant stay, so it was like one huge rat's nest, a maze of knots and split ends.

Shifting her hips about uncomfortably, she pressed a palm against the chilling surface of the gray, slated stone for an extra bit of balance as she moved where she placed the majority of her weight. The blood from her menstrual cycle that had drenched her panties and inside of her jeans had dried, so everything down in that area was always uncomfortable no matter what she did. She didn't have access to any other sources of clothing, so she would have to make-do with it, seeing as she didn't think it would kill her.

Placing her palms flat onto the boulder, she put all of her weight onto them and used it to push her body across the creek and onto the other side. She planted her feet firmly onto the ground and, for a few moments, struggled to regain her balance, flailing her arms a little bit until she got it under control. One of the good things about caring for snakes in that environment is that she became a little more agile - to avoid any strikes she would get from aggressive snakes, to get to snakes on those high ledges that were hard to reach, and strength from carrying around huge snakes like the anacondas. All that effort made pushing herself off the boulder quite the easy task.

A path had been shaped into the snow and underbrush, a foot away from where she stood at the bank. It looked new, because it was; molded by herself, a path she often took when she wanted some exercise and wanted to get away from the snakes for a little while. A fresh, thicker layer of snow had been lain earlier, though it didn't do much to cloud her footsteps that had pressed and trampled the dead leaves and snow.

Snow crunched under her feet as she tread down the trail, shoving her hands securely into her pockets to glean as much body warmth as she could for her fingers. Shadows loomed over the path and swallowed her whole as she set into the darkest parts of the wood, the forest taking on more a gloom. However, she was unaffected, since she had walked that way many times before. The silence hung heavy in the air, but it was so common that she didn't bat an eye.

Almost as quickly as she'd entered the thickest part of the forest, it thinned out into a meadow. There was no sunshine, flowers, or beauty as one would come to associate with a meadow. It was a desolate blank area amid the tall trees and evergreens, the snow lain just a tad more thickly but with less padding of leaves. It was part of a hill, and the way she'd entered was at the top, the land sloping downward like a slide.

Footprints from previous walk-throughs led around the area from explorations past, the most recent being when she had gone downhill and almost toppled head-over-heels. She held back a chuckle when she saw the scuffle imprints on the snow, and the distinct imprint of her ass halfway down, with her face's imprint farther up. Some areas she had tried to dig up areas of snow to see what had laid underneath, but only one had come up successful. The dips in the snow and piles of dug snow dotted the top of the hill, with hints of black dirt tracing the white at one of the sites.

A snake had slithered around with her one day, the wide trails of Lucullus' hide. It had been there only for a few feet before heading back and disappearing back into the woods. One of the shortest trails.

Turning away from the downhill section, she sought out the most open space of snow, pure and untouched. It was near where she usually entered and never bothered to step, and had the thickest layer of snow from what she could tell. Sizing it up to make sure it was the right size, a smile made its way to her face, so she turned and fell back onto the snow, landing with a soft  _oomph._

The snow was soft, like a cold blanket. She left an imprint of herself embedded into the flaked crystals, the action of her falling backwards creating a wave of them going upwards and out; some landed on her face, a few catching onto her eye lashes and giving everything a somewhat sparkle to her sight. A loud crunch had accommodated her fall, which was satisfying to her ears, breaking the silence. Her hands were numb with the cold, stiff to every last cell. Her arms and legs were sprawled outwards, spread-eagled on the comfort the snow provided.

A sigh escaped from between her lips, and she briefly closed her eyes to enjoy the moment while she could. Soon she would have to get up to warm her hands and fingers, then go back to Taki's cabin and get to work on getting rid of that mite infestation once and for all. Like how the sparkling crystals on her eye lashes melted, the moment would have to be over eventually as well.

She brought her arms back to herself, and sheathed her hands back into her hoodie pockets to soak up her body heat. She would have breathed on them, but it was very temporary - it was warm, but it was moist, and they became colder much quicker. The billows of white that escaped from her mouth drifted upwards, whisked away by a strong gust of wind hurrying past overhead, taking the condensation somewhere else. Maybe it would become snow, and come back down to her one day.

Dragging herself back up into a sitting position, she managed to get herself to her feet without the use of her hands. She cast her glance around the area, and froze when something caught her eye at the very bottom of the meadow. She could've sworn she'd seen movement, but she wasn't certain; there was something down there that she couldn't quite make out because of the distance. Curiosity drove her to take a few steps forward, then start to trudge down the hill, careful not to get her feet caught in snow drifts that would make her tumble down.

They looked like smudges in the snow, like her own footprints that were going around the meadow. It didn't look like her own, however, even from the distance she was at. She drew closer, doing a little hop when reaching the bottom of the slope and taking a few steps forward. She crouched down to inspect the footprints.

Whoever they belonged to, they did not belong to her. They didn't come from hiking shoes; rather, they looked like they came from a pair of slippers, and ones more made for men's feet. They were too wide to be her own. It sunk only a tinge deeper than her own, showing the person was also a bit heavier than her; at least, her current weight, pitiful as it was. It looked freshly imprinted, as if the person had been standing there seconds earlier.

The realization struck her as if she had been punched in the stomach.

Shakily she got to her feet, looking all around to see if she could spot the person who had made the prints. Her hands clasped together and clutched fistfuls of the inside of her hoodie pocket, and she grit her teeth as she wheeled around in circles to get the slightest glimpses of anything, anyone. The silence suddenly wasn't as harmless, it proved she was in extreme danger.

Would Taki hear her screams? Lucullus?

She stumbled back up the hill, nearly slipping in a drift. She caught herself and ran up, taking her hands out of her hoodie to be ready to catch herself if she fell. The numbness swiftly left her body as adrenaline made an entrance, pushing her onwards with renewed strength.

Her foot caught in a drift, sweeping her feet from under her.

She landed hard on the snow, and it didn't seem as welcoming as before. The adrenaline faded faster than ever, and left her nearly unable to get up again. She would have gotten up to continue her escape, but out of the corner of her eye she saw a shadow start to cast over her. Fear was the only thing she could process. Who was this? Were they here to kill her? Would she die there, laying in the snow? Nobody would remember her. She would die there. She would be a wisp in somebody's memory, then lost from the face of the earth, known nothing more than a name on some page, or a missing person reported too late to do anything about it. That was all life was, wasn't it? Her life was nothing compared to everything else. The grand scheme of things was unfair, if there even was a scheme at all. God was an answer for most people, leaving them somewhat happy at the thought of an afterlife; she had never been brought up that way, and had grown up Atheist. There was nothing waiting for her on the other side, just a blank void of nothing and no consciousness, lost forever and becoming just some dead body that would probably be devoured in that hell they called a home.

People weren't kidding when they said your life flashes before your eyes. So many thoughts crossed her mind at once, it was if the world had paused to give her a last inner monologue. Last thoughts, since her words have failed her to the point of her death. She should have screamed for Lucullus or Taki or any of the snakes, maybe they would have heard her cries and come to investigate. Lucullus had been there before, and would know where she'd gone; maybe he'd find a blood stain on the snow, and explain that she was gone to Taki, and they'd move on. Or Taki would get revenge for someone killing her, seeing as she took care of his snakes. More likely she would be forgotten, her life nothing more than a long parchment written by a quill, her last moments ending with the period at the end of the final sentence of her story.

The shadow became much darker as whoever it was crouched down next to her. She could hear the slight intake of breath; it was hitched, sounding somewhat... excited. Tears overflowed from her eyes and made their way down the side of her face, cold against her bare skin. What felt like a fairly humanoid hand started to run down her back, just the fingertips, sending shivers all around her nerves.

Where was her death?

Her face was lifted up slightly, and she was roughly pulled into the arms of whoever it was, and a rag was shoved into her face. It was wet, and smelled kind of sweet... she remembered that smell. From one of her classes, taught on old anesthetics.

Chloroform.

She had five minutes.

Realizing this was a fight as to not get kidnapped, she tried to struggle against the grasp of whoever was holding her. Maybe she had a chance to escape, and get to Taki. Lucullus could probably take down whoever this was. She tried her best to pry off the hand holding it to her face, but it was no use for her numb fingers. It vaguely felt like the hand was a skeleton... maybe it was already taking affect, and she was going to be unconscious soon.

Struggling, she tried to get it off her face, trying not to breathe in. The person holding her there was much stronger than she, and it just got pressed harder into her face. Already she was feeling light-headed, as if her mind was trying to slip away from her body and into some sort of purgatory. Unconsciousness. Her thoughts drifted to how nice sleep would be, and every time she tried to snap her thoughts back to escaping, they failed her.

The last thing she could sense was those fingertips massaging her side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 6.7 pages - very short, I know, but... haha. I know this cliffhanger is very rude, and I hate cliffhangers myself, but some thing just have to be done, ya'know? I apologize for the wait for this chapter, but the next will be very long, hopefully. To that person who said they can't wait to see Sansy, I HOPE YOU'RE HAPPY. THIS IS PROBABLY NOT WHAT ANYONE WANTED. 
> 
> Chloroform takes five minutes to actually knock someone out - the stuff you see in movies is exaggerated. It doesn't take like 10 seconds to knock someone out, fools.
> 
> ( https://lostflamefox.tumblr.com/ )
> 
> I totally didn't get a Tumblr, what're you talking about, haha...
> 
> Once this reaches 50 kudos, which is like... 2 kudos away... I'll draw a few things you guys request. Maybe just one or two. You can request in the comments, and try and decide together somewhat - this isn't the only time you guys can request drawings from me, there's gonna be other milestones too, so don't worry if I don't choose to draw your suggestion. You can even message me on Tumblr with your request. Keep in mind I cannot draw people without, like, the PERFECT reference. So you're gonna have to either supply me with one, or keep humans out of it. (If need be, reader can be replaced with an animal, which you can choose :3)
> 
> ANYWAY. Have a good day, people.


	9. Chapter Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The chapter where the main character fully meets the secondary main character, and she learns what fate had in stock after giving everything good to everyone else on the planet.

Consciousness dragged her mind out of the dark void of sleep, bringing her into the world she had thought she had left forever. Everything was so hazy that she couldn't tell if she was actually awake or not, the entirety of her situation blurring and fuzzing together into a heap of things her mind wasn't able to process. A headache had started to pester her the closer she got to full consciousness, pulsing against her temples and pounding in the center, as if teeth were gnawing away at the center of her brain to try and eat away at her thoughts.

Everything started to process.

A blindfold had been tied tightly around her head, smothering any vision she would have had of the room she was in. The cloth was soft, though it pressed against her skull a little too tightly. Her wrists had been bound and tied in rope, above her head, so she couldn't move them. She was laying on her back, on what felt to be a mattress; her head was slightly propped on a pillow. Her legs were free from restraints, but she felt too weak to move them. Her muscles felt sore and weak, and as she moved around a little bit she became severely fatigued.

"oh, you're awake?" The unexpectedness of the sudden voice made her lurch upwards in a jump of surprise, but instantly afterward she found it even harder to move. The voice was incredibly deep, and husky. Definitely masculine, which brought dread flowing through her veins as she realized she was completely naked. It explained the cold that bit at her bare skin. She tried not to think about being naked in front of somebody who had kidnapped her. Only somewhat happy thoughts. She could get through this. 

All of her resolve dissolved as a low chuckle followed her jump of surprise. "sorry that we met so abruptly, but i just... couldn' get you out of my head. i would'a gotten you 'ere more peacefully if i could, but the monster you were stayin' wi' wouldn't've been too pleased 'bout it. i first saw ya 'bout two weeks ago, and haven' gotten over your green soul since. i just... had ta have it, ya'know?" As soon as he'd started talking, he had begun to ramble.

She could barely grasp for words, her mind drifting back into a haze when it couldn't process what exactly was happening. "You... stalked me?" She managed to say, a chill running up her spine along the mattress she was laid on.

A long pause followed her question. "would you hate me if i did?"

"... No."

"then yes. i suppose i did. i couldn' just walk up to you as soon as i saw you, i had to wait for the perfect moment for us to meet. i fucked it up though, didn' i? 'm saving your sight so you can look me in the eyes when we exchange names, so i guess that's somethin'." He ranted again, though cut himself short a little quicker. He shifted so he was on the bed, and she jerked back to the best of her ability while still as weak as she was, in order to not touch him. She felt him start to undo the blindfold, and pull it off of her head.

The darkness of the room allowed her eyes to easily adjust, and she froze when she met his gaze. His face was hovering just a few inches away from hers. All of her guesses about what kind of monster he was were true - he was a skeleton. Only one of his vast eye sockets had any kind of eye glowing in it, and it was bigger than hers. It was a blood red color, and unnerved her. It seemed to drive right into her soul. The unnatural, comical smile he had on his face widened considerably when she didn't break his gaze.

"the name's sans. sans the skeleton. you?"

"Uh... (Y/n)," she murmured, a little bit petrified by his gaze.

His smile broadened. "we'll 'ave a lot 'o fun."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 2.1 pages, but I haven't posted a chapter in so long it might as well be worth a 20-page chapter. I apologize for inactivity in this, since I couldn't find out how to properly introduce you into the REAL part of the fanfiction. All of this has led up to this chapter, and honestly, I hope you guys are happy because this took a long time to get to.
> 
> Things after this get... weird. And disturbing. (For those on archive - the tags should have tipped you off big-time.)
> 
> Anyway, this fic isn't dead. I got this goddamn far, and I'm not letting it go now. Just like Sans is never letting you go- sHOT


	10. Chapter Seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The chapter where food is offered, and boundaries are overstepped. Forgiveness is given a little too easily, and a promise is made.

Through the scents that clogged her nose, she picked up the scent of charred meat. It managed to strike through the scent of pine and spruce, melting snow and dew, and metallic blood. The animal it came from was a mystery, but she knew it was meat, despite not being much of a meat-eater herself. It drifted through the door and came right to the mattress she was laid on. Her nose scrunched in distaste, but the hunger gnawing itself through the muscles of her stomach had a different opinion of the potential meal.

Entering the room was Sans, the skeleton whose scent she couldn't seem to get out of her system. After two days surrounded by it, it started to have a calming effect on her, even with the trace amounts of blood that stung at her nostrils. When he stepped inside she couldn't help but notice that the blood scent had renewed instead of staled, and her stomach churned alongside its hungry gnawing. It was easily forgotten when her gaze dropped to the plate he was holding, then zeroed in on the chunk of seared meat that had been placed on top of it.

He moved over to the mattress, placing the plate down at the foot of the mattress and taking his usual seating position, cramped between her legs and the wall to her left. The smile his face wore today promised nothing good could come of the food, though that didn't stop her stomach from loudly announcing how hungry it was. The tips of his smile curved in delight at the noise, and she managed to suppress the thoughts she was having about what that might mean.

"i managed to snag you somethin' to eat. 's a lil' overcooked, sorry 'bout that, but nothin' i can do. that okay, love?" During the two days, he had been quick to pick up the nickname 'love' for her, and she hadn't said a word about it since she figured he could call her what he wanted. It was obvious he was completely enamored with her, and she'd gotten the feeling that if she didn't let him do what he wanted, she might end up dead. A little nickname wasn't much of a bother, anyway, so it was completely fine with her.

Her response came out as somewhat of a croak, from the lack of use of her vocal cords. "It's okay." Her stomach declared its hunger, again. The thought of where the meat could have come from popped into her head unwanted, and she managed to suppress it. That food was exactly what she needed. Otherwise her stomach would eat itself, and that didn't sound like a very fun experience. She trusted Sans wouldn't poison her, so it obviously wouldn't kill her. Therefore, it really didn't matter where it came from.

... Mostly didn't matter.

Ok, it did matter, but she wouldn't question it. After she ate it, maybe.

Perhaps it would be better not to question it at all, and just eat it.

His smile indicated there was a catch.

"there's two options. you could kiss me for every bite, or..." The first option already made her skin crawl. She wasn't sure if she wanted to hear the second. "... for the entire thing, to eat at your own pace, i have free reign of your body for just a little while. i promise i won't fuck you or anything, though i really wanna. i really do. we  _could_  fuck if ya want to."

She was speechless.

Heat rose up to her face, and she could feel the skin there burning. A shudder had worked its way through her body at the thought of what he wanted, though she screwed her eyes shut tight and fought it back. She didn't know what to think of either - kissing him wasn't ideal, but the thought of what he might do made her anxious. She had a lot of questions about option two, such as if she could get him to stop if he went too far. If she said 'stop', he probably would.

The fact it was 'probably' and not 'definitely' scared her.

When she opened her eyes again he was leaning a little closer, awaiting her answer eagerly.

"If I say 'stop' for option two, would you stop? I-I would pick that one, but if you wouldn't, then I'm not... comfortable. With that option. It freaks me out." It tumbled out of her mouth like a landslide, and she quickly shut it before she said anything else that betrayed how nervous she was.

He placed a hand on the side of her face, obviously trying to be comforting. "of course i would. i don' want you to be uncomfortable. all i want you to have is pleasure," he practically purred, and she couldn't suppress another shiver. He was unbearably close now, and she was getting a little too aware of how naked she was. "do you choose that one, love?"

"I-I suppose. Okay."

Was she really doing this?

"close your eyes, and 'll get a bite 'fore i begin," he ordered, and she complied, closing her eyes. She felt him shift on the bed, the weight slightly dipping towards her, showing he had leaned to her right. Then the dip in the mattress came closer to the top half of her body, and the smell of the meat hovered right under her nose. "take a bite." His voice came out as an actual purr, rumbling from deep in his chest.

She complied again, and chewed on the meat. It was a little chewier than she expected, and was a little hard to work through because of being overcooked. Otherwise, she couldn't quite pin the flavor. It tasted kind of like pork, one of the meats she would occasionally have with her family, but it wasn't it, exactly. She swallowed, and she felt him lean over the mattress to place the plate down.

" 'll be right back, love. eyes closed," he reminded, and she felt him leave the bed. She heard him leave the room, and closed the door behind him. That left her with only her thoughts, which she found wasn't exactly a good thing in that house. They would always drift to how fucked up her situation was, or trying to plot ways to escape. She'd already given up on escaping, even though she hadn't started. It was impossible, since she had no idea where her clothes were, and she couldn't go outside of the house because of the overhanging threat of hypothermia.

Her situation wasn't that bad, she supposed. He just loved her and didn't know how to express his feelings properly, which was understandable. She'd seen the state his world was in. That head wound wasn't doing him any favors. She'd started to see herself as some sort of makeshift therapist for him, someone he would listen to. He definitely cared enough to listen. And she could deal with him loving her as much as he did. For right then, anyway. She wasn't sure she liked him back - at the moment she didn't, but she didn't hate him, either. The situation she was in was better than outside his house. Taki and Lucullus seemed like a distant memory, and they didn't treat her as well as Sans did. And now it was either Sans or death, so obviously he was the better option.

She felt kind of obligated to stay with Sans, anyway. He seemed like a sweet person, under the layers of roughness he often showed. He didn't deserve the life he had.

\--- WARNING! Things after this point get uh... well, it might as well be smut. It probably is. I'm putting this a little bit in advance because I describe some sexual feelings, so... yeah. I'll put an ending mark for those who don't want to read smut. Oh, and those who go ahead and read it, there is complicated consent. ---

Her train of thought was discarded as she realized her body was starting to heat up considerably. The cold that always bit at her skin seemed less of a temperature discomfort, compared to the center of her body that was now burning like the core of the sun. An area she had once thought of as barren was slick, and her nipples were uncomfortably hardened and sticking up to the air. Something in her abdomen clenched, and she screwed her eyes shut tighter. All of her nerves felt as though they'd been set on fire.

Shudders wracked her body like earthquakes, and she let out a small, shivering moan as the door opened again. The door shut quietly, and she felt Sans' weight coming back onto the bed. She felt him lean over her to undo the bondage on her wrists, and the closeness of his body wasn't  _enough_. He needed to be closer. He could help her sudden desire. As soon as her hands were free, he spoke. "you can open your eyes now." The deepness of his voice sent another array of shudders cascading down her spine, and she opened her eyes to look up at him longingly.

Another sudden clench in her abdomen came, and she moaned out loud. "shh." He hushed her, bringing her onto his lap and stroking her spine. She wrapped her arms around his neck, feeling light-headed and dizzy. She vaguely wondered what had come over her as he pressed his teeth against her lips. Her thoughts were chased away by his teeth coaxing her lips open, and a long tongue snaked from his mouth into hers, wrapping around her tongue and sucking on it. He tasted like no food, to her small surprise. Instead, his taste was more like his scent, which was delicious. She moaned against his mouth, and she felt one of his hands grab her ass.

The fabric of his shirt and parka rubbed against her perked nipples, and she moaned again, into his mouth. His teeth left her lips, instead moving down to the side of her neck. His tongue followed, spreading a white-hot blazing trail of red saliva trailing after it. As it brushed against a certain spot, she let out a louder moan, and she felt his tongue retreat back between his teeth. Those same teeth suddenly bit into the flesh of her neck, and she squirmed, whimpering in the pain that followed. He kneaded her ass as he retracted his teeth, licking up the blood.

Everything became blank as her clit rubbed against the fabric of his shirt.

The very bottom of his t-shirt had gotten pinned between her body and his, and it rubbed against the bundle of nerves.

He noticed and moved quickly, using both of his hands to grip her hips. His face buried into her neck as he forced her to grind against him, causing her clit to be massaged by his shirt. She moaned loudly, drool finding itself down her chin as she gripped at his spine to try and find something to clench her fists around. He kept the pace slow, but it still quickly approached her first climax. Before he could slow down, she cummed, hard, onto his shirt. The damp spot spread across the fabric, and a growl rose from deep in his chest, rumbling against her breasts.

The pace sped up considerably after her first climax, but she never felt discomfort. She cummed another two times onto his shirt, all the while she hung onto his spine and scapulas as though they could anchor her to Earth. His hands clenched against the curves of her hips, the nails digging into her flesh and drawing blood. The smell hit his nasal cavity as he removed his face from her neck, and he paused in his movements. She whined at the absence of pleasure, only the aftershocks of her climaxes hitting her as hard as a semi-truck.

He took a long, deep breath of the air.

Then her hips were rubbed against him faster than she could have imagined, and she cummed, hard, again. "SANS!" She screamed, shaking like a leaf. He continued his ministrations, never slowing down. It was though he was driven by an unseen force, separated from reality. She felt as though her clit had a friction burn. She let out a soft whimper, though he continued to roughly rock her against him. He sunk his teeth back into the mark on her neck, freshening the wound, and she gripped his spine even tighter.

Finally, he seemed to snap out of his momentary trance. He slowly came to a stop, letting her sit down on his lap and slouch against his chest, panting. He retracted his teeth from her neck, again, and licked the wound clean before setting her so she laid on her back on the mattress once more. He looked over her abandoned torso, the neglected nipples that still stood, as though alert. His teeth parted again, and his tongue coiled around her nearest nipple. His hand snaked over to her other breast, and squeezed it heartily.

"Sans..." she murmured, jerking her hips at the stimulation and attention he was giving her breasts. Already, the heat was leeching away from her body, and normal thought was returning to reign her mind. The pleasure brought from her climaxes turned to soreness, though her nipples were still enjoyed the attention. Everything in her body seemed even heavier, and the clenching in her abdomen was definitely a lot worse, almost as if she were on her period.

When her consciousness seemed to snap back, he was still sucking lovingly on one nipple, and massaging the other. "S-stop," she stammered, her fingers trembling. He pulled back from her chest, giving one last squeeze before setting his weight back onto the mattress.

\--- I guess you guys can come back now! END OF WARNING. ---

Everything had happened so fast, she still hadn't processed it. Her mind was still kind of foggy; the lasting effects of whatever she had been put under. The thought that he might have added aphrodisiac to her food was surprisingly possible, and she wasn't happy about that. Her body was still sore, and many parts of her were still suffering the aftershocks from what he'd done when he had her way with her. She was trembling for a different reason than just the physical.

"Y-You... you..." She could barely wrap her mind around it. He had drugged her, then had fun when she had no control. She didn't know if she should be angry. She probably should have been. All she could feel, though, was shock about what had happened just moments ago. The damp spot on his t-shirt was like a mark of shame; already he was trying to hide it with his parka, though she knew it was there. "W-what did you do?..."

" 'm sorry, love. it was too tempting to do. 're so soft... and warm..." He shuddered. "i couldn' control myself. i-i didn't rape you, so that's a plus, right? i would never do that, ever. all i did was pleasure you. you liked that, right? did it feel good?" He switched from an apology to trying to seek her approval quickly. She avoided his gaze, instead looking off to the side. The phantom feel and taste from the experience was already imprinting itself into her memory. He was right. It had felt good. She wasn't sure how she felt saying it aloud, however.

Would he do something like that again?

That thought was terrifying.

She barely noticed the tears that she'd started to shed, even as they ran down her face, their trails like twin streaks of burning acid. Sans noticed, and paused for a moment. He carefully brought her back onto his lap, though held her in a comforting position instead of the way he'd held her earlier. He rubbed comforting circles on her shoulder opposite him, and he tried to catch her eyes. "love... 'm really sorry. please don't cry."

Her emotions were rocketing all over the place, the chemicals in her brain congealing into a mess beyond what her mind could form into actual thoughts. She let out a sob, and he winced, looking guilty. "look at me, love, please." He gently moved her chin, and managed to get her to look him in the eye. "i promise i won' do that ever again, unless you give me permission. i did something... wrong, and i didn' mean for you to be upset. i thought it would be good to give you some pleasure, and i never intended to hurt you."

His apology was genuine. She forgave him, though her only response was another choked sob she had tried to swallow.

After that, he held her gently, rocking her back and forth in a comforting motion. She was lulled into a deep sleep, her emotions crashing around her like debris from an explosion; he murmured more apologies and promises for the future, as if in her slumber she would still hear him. His own emotions were being smothered, a mix of anger at himself, guilt, sadness at making her cry, and desire to do the same thing again. His grip loosened as he, too, started to drift to sleep. Both of them dreamed of ghostly touches and gropes, the taste of each other's mouths, and either the helplessness of the moment or the burning passion.

~

Had she agreed to let him do that?

Yes, she had.

When she had agreed, getting drugged had not come to mind. It occurred to her that no matter which she had picked out of the two, she would have ended up the same. The reason she had chosen the second option was because she thought it would make him happier.

He betrayed her trust.

Nonetheless, she'd forgiven him, like she always did. Even for huge fuck-ups. She didn't blame his impulse. She didn't blame anyone. She put trust in him to hold up to his promises, and she expected him to keep those promises.

She wasn't denying that the moment had released a part of her she thought she'd buried years ago. Her horny teenager times were over, and she hadn't seeked out anything to stimulate herself since then. The release of that part of her had felt amazing, and the memory of the pleasure was burned deep into her mind now. She hadn't asked to be drugged into it, though. If he'd gone any farther she wouldn't have had the mind to put a stop to it.

The sheer luck of snapping out of it did not go unnoticed. She felt relieved.

Her most obvious reminder was the mark on the side of her neck. It was incredibly sore, and pain flared up as he softly nuzzled the area in his sleep. She wondered what he was dreaming about. Hopefully not the same thing that had caused her to wake up so abruptly.

That dragon skeleton haunted her nightmares.

He wouldn't leave her alone.

Every night the tar dripping from his ribcage would bleed into her heart and stop it.

Every night she would wake up in a cold sweat afterwards, her heartbeat going wild in her chest.

Sans wouldn't notice. He would be far into his deep slumber, where she could smack him across the face and he wouldn't wake up. (Not that she tried.) He would, instead, snuggle deeper as she tried to weakly struggle out of his grasp. He would nuzzle her neck and murmur gibberish. She would go still again and drift back to sleep.

Something kept her up that night. In their sleep, Sans had toppled over to lay on his side on the bed. She was still stuck in his protective grasp, and his hands sent a chill through her flesh. Every one of his touches sent her back to the phantom ones, where he explored her heat-wracked body freely without a care. She could still taste his tongue in her mouth, and could almost feel him sucking on hers. Her hands were places on his upper arm's bones, having slipped up the sleeves of his parka.

Her touch kept him in that deep slumber. When she'd tried to pull away, she could see the nightmares washing over his sleep like a tsunami. She'd felt bad and slipped back into his grasp, wincing as one of his hands nearly slipped between her legs. She inspected his face as he slept.

His bones were so smooth, and flexible, like skin. His teeth appeared to be quite dull and flat, but she knew they had sharp ends. His eye sockets could close, and they were closed. The areas under his eye sockets seemed to be like the bags no doubt under her own. He was tired. She was tired, too. He started to stirr, shoving his face back into her neck. The ridge of his nasal cavity stabbed at the mark he'd made.

She wanted to avoid the conversation that would follow after they were both awake.

She wanted to pretend he hadn't done anything.

She managed to fall back to sleep.

~

_In front of her, the skeleton stood. He wasn't moving; all he did was stare at her, and she couldn't move out of the way of his gaze. She watched as a chunk of tar fell out of his ribcage and disappeared into the inky black of the void. Those wide, open sockets were trained on her as she tried to look elsewhere. They were nothing like Sans' sockets. Whatever those eye sockets were used for, they were not used for seeing. She was sure of that._

_It took a step forwards._

_A clump of tar landed on her foot, sizzling through her flesh and burning away at her muscles to replace them. The pain that flared upwards was expected, but she still almost let loose a scream. Tears streaked down her face, and she pleaded this dream would go by quickly._

_Another step, and her thigh's muscle was replaced by that burning tar. It was as though lava had been injected into her flesh in some crazy experiment to see what would happen. She got a glimpse of her bone as the tar washed away her flesh and absorbed it, then replaced where that flesh had been._

_Next was her abdomen, followed by a clump that she watched struggle to squirm from between its sternum and ribs. That clump landed on her heart, and burrowed into her chest to replace the muscle. She tried to squirm or struggle, anything that could possibly get her away. The void freed her limbs, and she tried to uselessly pry the tar away from her heart. She knew it was futile. It'd happened so many times before. Whatever she did, at least she would wake up right after it finished the job._

_... She did not wake up._

_He took another step, the next clump landing right onto her neck, burrowing into her throat. She tried to cough and splutter, but her airway was blocked by the tar that was oozing through her neck, trying to find the best thing to completely devour and replace. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't speak. She barely had time to prepare before the next chunk of tar landed directly on her face._

_It was a pain she had never experienced before._

_The eyes were burrowed through on the tar's way to her skull. Her nose had been caught, and that was gone as well. Nothing on her face was left untouched by the tar; everything was devoured, and she was aware the entire time. It made its way through her skull and burrowed into her brain._

_Wake up._

_WAKE UP!_

~

Sans' frantic murmurs were what had ripped her from her nightmare. Her heart thudded wildly in her chest, and she could still feel the pain that had arisen when the tar devoured her flesh. She had been crying; the streams left by the tears were incredibly warm, though were evaporating and leaving cold streaks in their place. Her face was buried in his shoulder, though how it got there, she didn't know. He was rubbing circles in her back soothingly, and his other hand was checking her pulse at her wrist. The scent of him dulled her senses, and the pain ebbed away slowly into nothing.

"Sans?" She managed to croak.

"are you okay? i think you had a nightmare. was- ... was it about me?" The worry leaked through his voice. He clutched her to his chest a little tighter, as though fearing what her answer to his question would be.

"No, it wasn't about you," she muttered, burying her face further into his shoulder.

His body had been tense, and she felt him relax. "what was it about?"

"I don't wanna talk about it." She didn't want to think about that nightmare ever again. She wanted to curl up in Sans' arms and forget about it, and hope he could chase away her worries. She inhaled his scent, and felt her own muscles relax. He stopped rubbing her back, and instead rubbed at her shoulder comfortingly. She nearly drifted off, back to sleep, but caught herself. She didn't want to go back there.

Sans kissed the top of her head, pressing his teeth to her scalp. "ok. maybe another time."

Maybe never.

If she could escape from all her problems, she would, and never think about them ever again.

That was an option Sans could probably provide, and lovingly, at that.

... She'd started to love him already.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 12.4 pages. Nothing like some Stockholm syndrome in the morning. After about 80-something pages, finally we've come to the chapter tons of people have been waiting for. This isn't a healthy relationship. I mean... just earlier in this same chapter, he drugged her, which doesn't exactly seem like something a good person would do their loved one. (For people that enjoy smut, consider this chapter an Xmas present. Just fo u.)
> 
> Oh, and that food isn't forgotten. She's going to eat it, but it's never said. Just so you know.
> 
> You think I've forgotten Morningstar? Or our best pal, Zaides? Or even that mysterious voice in the prologue? No. I really haven't. But they're all coming very soon. This fic is actually nearing its end. Not going to give any spoilers, but... there is going to be a sequel. And in the sequel, it's all about fixing their relationship. It's gonna be really nice.
> 
> (And this is about as smutty as this'll get, btw.)
> 
> WingsOfEbony (or whatever your username is), i hOpE yOu'Re hApPy
> 
> nIcE pErSoN hAs lEfT tHe cHaT


	11. Chapter Eight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The chapter where a character last seen six chapters ago comes back into the story, and the second main character is not happy about it whatsoever. An unbreakable bond is made between the two main characters.

I've found her again. She's with Sans.

Oh, really? Not dead? Remarkable.

Yeah, I've got no idea what's keeping her alive. Do you still want her soul?

Yes. I need it.

I'll get it. I can leave her body with Sans, that should make the both of us happy.

Indeed.

~

Ever since her first meal, she hadn't had her hands tied up again. Occasionally he would have her take a pill that kept her weak so she wouldn't leave him. At that point, she didn't even mind it. The mattress was comfortable, even if it was dirty. He promised her he would get sheets for it eventually, and even a blanket and pillow. She looked forwards to it. He also vowed to have her exercise once a day, by having her lean against him and do a few walking laps around his room. He kept her fed decently enough, bringing her tree bark like Taki had done. When there was meat, she would get meat.

Life was going well.

Currently, he was not in his room. She was propped up against the wall, trying to ignore the cold that sunk into her back and spine from the freezing surface. The minutes that ticked by seemed to last hours, but she kept her thoughts away from worrying. They were focused on when Sans would be back, and what they would do when he was there. Maybe he was out getting her a blanket - that would be amazing. They could cuddle in it together. Clothes would also be something she would appreciate, but she doubted she would be getting any for awhile yet.

_Tap._

Something tapped softly against the window pane above the bed. She glanced upwards, and her blood froze, clogging her veins. 

With a loud protest, the window slowly slid open as his paws fit under the extremely small gap that had been opened to allow her to get some fresher air. When it was as open as it could go, Morningstar clambered inside of the room, landing with a soft  _thump_  on the mattress beside her. She nearly screamed, but kept herself silent. She did her best to make herself small, against the wall.

"It's been awhile, (Y/n). Over two months. You still owe me something, you know. It was really rude of you when you ran away," he chided. He crossed his arms, upset. "I really need your soul. Either you hand it over now and I won't have to make a fuss, or resist and I'll just have to take your body, too. You don't want the latter, trust me. I went through a lot of trouble to get a ladder that could reach to that damned window."

She eyed him warily. "No to either. You can't have it."

Morningstar's stubby tail flicked in annoyance. "What? Are you gonna claim it belongs to you or something? Or, a lot more funnily, Sans? You  _owe_  me your soul, so you have to give it to me. Kindness souls are supposed to be trustworthy, but apparently you are not. I helped you escape the Ruins! You would have died without me. All I want in return is your soul."

"No," she said, more firmly.

"Wrong choice. Now I have to bring your body, too."

Before she could even attempt to crawl away, he brought out a small box for her to see. He pressed a little button on the top of it, and it sprung out to wrap around her tightly. The ropes were as sharp as razors; she barely moved and cuts appeared along her skin. A sharp sensation came from all over her body, and thin streams of crimson were already leaking out of the cuts. He pressed another button and the ropes pressed into her skin even tighter. She had to close her eyes to avoid being blinded, and the harsh pain that followed nearly made her cry out.

Everything hurt.

Sans wasn't there.

Her soul was in danger.

She cried.

She felt her body being dragged upwards as he started to climb out of the window. The cuts dragged deeper into her sides and her back, where gravity pulled her down onto the net. It was surprising Morningstar could carry her that easily, but she took into account that she had barely eaten a thing for two months. She would weigh ninety pounds, at the most, and that was stretching it. She had no idea how strong ferret monsters were, so it might be like a bag of pebbles for him to lug around.

Stars, she was pitiful.

She should've screamed.

"Long fall in a second. Let's hope that snow prevents you from snapping your neck," Morningstar's voice warned, before she was dragged out of the window and dropped. The cold air resistance slashed at her skin almost as bad as the net, though disappeared abruptly into something much worse as her back slammed into the ground. Her flesh burned with the cold, as if she'd been dipped into a tub of dry ice. Powdery snow landed on her as it drifted back down to rejoin the rest of its kind on the ground, though melted against her warm skin instead. She could hear Morningstar closing the window and making his way back down the ladder, then put the ladder somewhere hidden near the tree line.

The threat of hypothermia, the exact reason why she had no clothes in the first place, was now ever-present. She could die on the way to wherever Morningstar was taking her. It seemed less and less likely that she would see Sans again - by the time he returned, she might be dead already. The cuts the nets dug into her skin would hopefully leave a trail of blood he could follow. That was what kept her from loosing all hope. The trail she might leave.

With her luck, though, Morningstar would notice and somehow cover their tracks.

The end of the net was grasped once more and she was dragged along in the snow. The harsh cold bit into her skin, and already parts of her body were going numb. The blood she bled was warm, which was only a momentary comfort before it, too, froze against her body and became another hypothermia hazard. She was stuck in a cramped position in the net to avoid as many cuts as possible, though with her mind on the trail, she occasionally forced the net to cut into one of her arms to draw a little more blood.

Breadcrumbs.

Though instead of bread, the crumbs were her blood, and came from her own body.

How morbid.

"Where are you taking me?" She inquired, trying to sound casual amid her flurry of panic on the inside. The net caught against a tree he'd dragged her a little too close to, and when it snapped back, it cut a deep gash into the side of her thigh. She bit her lip to avoid crying out, and kept her eyes shut tight in case the net snagged on something else and snapped back on her eyes instead.

The walking paused for a moment, before she was dragged along again. "Somewhere. It's not really that close. We should arrive within the hour, though."

Less than that and she could die. She hoped Sans would arrive back soon, and not assume she'd just left him. She didn't want him to be too upset to notice the blood trail. Realistically, he would be that upset - hopefully not at her. She wouldn't be crazy enough to try and escape naked in this weather. Maybe he would realize that. Maybe not. The chance that she would survive was dipping the longer she was dragged along, her back going completely numb to the snow. Her fingers and toes wouldn't move on command after a few minutes.

There was an abrupt turn in their path, and her head smacked against a rock at the sudden lurch. Since it was a head wound, there would be more blood than usual. She intentionally dragged the back of her head along the ground to try and get as much on the snow as possible, despite how much it hurt. She felt on the near point of fainting, though she tried to keep her wits about her.

She hoped Sans would come to her rescue, and soon.

~

 _Click._  The door softly shut behind him, and he peered into the messy room to see what she was doing. The bundle in his arms was dropped as his arms went limp, landing with a soft sound on the ground.

Where. Was. She?

His eye scanned the entire room to see if there was any sign of where she could have gone. The door was a no-go. He knew he had locked it, and it was too far for her to walk to it. Nothing on the floor of his room was disturbed; it was exactly how he had left it. He hurried over to inspect the window, which was the only possible way she could have escaped the room. He swatted away the idea that Papyrus had found her, since he would have been told by his brother right away about finding a human. That was the only way she could have left.

There was blood on the corner of the wall.

There was blood on the mattress.

There was blood on the frame of the window, and hints on the pane.

The scent drove him crazy. It meant she was  _hurt_ , and he couldn't help her until he found where she was. He opened the window in a rush, and spotted the smudges of crimson standing out against the dirtied white. He disappeared, and appeared again at the area below. He investigated the scene, seeing the spot where she'd first hit the ground, then the trail that her dragged body left, highlighted by blood. Trying to calm his rage, he speed-walked where the trail led, following his nose a little more than his glowing iris.

Whoever took her, he'd tear them apart.

Limb by limb.

Brittle undergrowth that snagged on his legs broke into small pieces as he trotted over them, uncaring of the damage. All he could think about was what he'd do to whoever took her, and how he would make it up to her for not being there to stop it all in the first place. She must be so cold and alone, confused, hurt... it made him angry. The longer he kept on the trail, the more he noticed that wounds were being renewed. More fresh blood had been spilled. The blood became fresher as he zeroed in on the target, and he could hear the crunching of snow distantly up ahead.

It had started to snow, the small flakes clinging to his parka and stinging against his skull. They melted on contact at the warmth of the blood that was getting colder as the snow absorbed its heat. The world was slowly drifting to a place of white fog, and he sped up his pace in a hurry. If he wasn't quick enough about what he was doing, he knew she could die. That wasn't something he could afford to have happen, so he made sure to keep up the grueling pace he set for himself.

He was so angry.

He would kill someone for this.

Nobody touched what was his without his goddamn permission.

In his anger, he felt his memory problems start to act up. What he was doing was fading - if it happened, he'd have another episode, and would be confused as to why he was following a blood trail in the woods. This caused him to speed up faster, fearing what would happen if he forgot. He fucking hated the downsides of his head wound. It got in the way. It might kill the only light he'd seen in years. He would never forgive himself for it.

... What was he thinking about?

FUCK. Right, oh, yeah.

That.

Right up ahead, just a few trees away, a stupid fucking ferret monster was just dragging her through the snow. She looked to be unconscious; she was unmoving, her eyes closed, trapped in some stupid fucking net. He felt himself boil when he realized it was cutting  _into her skin_. That was where the blood'd come from. The thing that was driving him fucking crazy. It was so fresh, as well. Straight from the source.

He was hungry.

He was angry.

... He was so h u n g r y .

His thought process grinded to a near halt, and he faltered in his steps. Then, he broke into a run. The ferret seemed to notice, whirling around to come face-to-face. His eyes narrowed and he dropped the non-sharp end of the net, taking a step forwards and around her. Sans came to a stop, magic crackling in the air around him as he tried to summon as much as possible. He wanted the ferret's death to be p a i n f u l .

"I'm just taking her soul. You can keep the body; I really don't like the hassle of bringing it with. You can do whatever with it, eat it I'm guessing. You don't need to run out here to get it," he attempted to smooth, but anger bubbled in him, from all over.

"she is m i n e ," he growled, a bone stabbing through the snow, dangerously close to impaling the ferret straight through. The end was shattered and bloodied, as though ripped straight from the body. The ferret stumbled backwards, and he took a step forwards. "release her. n o w ."

"I really can't do that."

He lunged forwards and grabbed the small ferret by the throat, bringing him upwards. "did i fuckin' stutter?" Black saliva dripped from between his teeth as the metallic scent of blood drowned out most of his senses, his hunger riding high. He would do anything for any kind of food right then. Her body was so close, and she was absolutely coated in the addicting stuff. He'd clean all that off her later - with his tongue, he fantasized. But first he had to get her home.

And kill the ferret.

The ferret had to die.

The ferret struggled. "No- I really can't. You can keep the body!"

In his anger, he clenched his fist a little too much. With a  _crunch_ , the ferret's neck was crushed between his bony fingers, surprise drifting over the little furry monster's face for a moment before blood soaked his fur and now Sans' hands. He crumbled into dust, and he dropped what he'd been holding, the last remains of the monster who'd tried to take her from him.

That would teach them.

He directed his attention back to her. She was shivering from the cold and blood loss, her skin almost as pale as the snow she was rested upon, though now it looked more like a crimson blanket that was melting with the warmth of her blood. The net still dug into her skin; he looked at the little box it'd sprung from, and crushed that under his foot, the system retracting as best it could, letting go of his prize.

As gently as he could manage in his hungered state, he picked her up, opening his parka and maneuvering her inside. He zipped it up as best he could around her shivering frame, clutching her very close to his torso. A part of her actually was residing in the place between his pelvis and ribcage; it was too cramped in his parka otherwise. Her skin felt unnaturally cold, and it snapped him out of his daze. He nuzzled the top of her head softly, murmuring assurances.

With the sizzle of his magic, he teleported home in as big hops as he dared. Ever since the wound, his magic had been damaged severely - it wasn't reliable anymore. He couldn't depend on it. Teleports over twenty feet sometimes went in the wrong direction, or he'd nearly end up inside of an object. He had to extremely careful with it - he had precious cargo with him during his trips, so he had to shorten his range from twenty to about fifteen, just to be safe. The smell of blood was starting to make him loose his nerve again, but he tried to hold through, keeping his mark.

Minutes later, they'd reached home. He teleported right into his room, unzipping his parka and letting her fall gently onto his mattress. He rushed over, grabbed the plain brown blanket he'd managed to get, and draped it over her. It was the fluffiest one he'd found - the owner didn't need it any longer, since they'd dusted. It still kind of smelled like them, but he knew the scent would be gone soon enough. Hers was overpowering, so it would be washed away within a few hours, he reckoned.

Everything had breezed past so quickly. He collapsed into bed beside her, kissing all along her face, lingering on her lips. Her shivering had grown a little, and she grasped the blankets as though they were the only thing keeping her alive. More than he could do. He scowled at the thought, but kept himself from doing anything. She needed them. He nudged her face worriedly. "(y/n)? speak to me, please."

"Hhmp?" She muttered something inaudible, and he nudged her again. "... Sans? You came..." Her voice was quiet, as though she hadn't actually expected to survive through the encounter. His mood softened, and he moved so he was under the covers as well. He cuddled her close to him, clutching her shivering body to his chest. The warmth he found very comforting about her was starting to return, though not as quickly as he would have liked. He kissed her gently on the lips, assuring her that he'd came for her. He'd do anything for her.

She tasted like blood.

He needed more.

\--- Mini warning. Another smutty-ish part. Body worship. Cunnilingus at one point, and at the end, he licks her soul as well. Soul sex. The end of the chapter is the end of this warning. ---

His tongue formed in his mouth, and he licked all the blood off of her face. She made a small noise in the back of her throat, and it blossomed into a moan as he moved down to her neck. His mind fuzzed as he sucked on the cuts on her neck, dipping his head so it was almost completely covered by the fluffy embrace of the blanket. His eye glowed a little to reveal to him what he needed to lick next; all the parts of her body that had crimson stains that could be cleaned. Her thighs had some deep cuts, and he had a feeling he might end up licking a lot more than he needed.

Her hands grasped at the base of his skull as he suckled on all of her cuts, licking up all the blood. The nets had narrowly avoided her nipples, but he gave them their own attention as well, and kneaded her breasts to make them bleed more for him. Her skin was starting to warm quickly, her body switching from near-hypothermia to arousal. The skin under his tongue felt heavenly, so smooth and soft and warm. All his. She mewled as he kneaded and suckled, desperate for his attention, like the first time they'd been like this and he'd had to drug her. He still felt hint of guilt, even if she had told him she forgave him.

Every time he suckled on one of her cuts, it stopped bleeding. He told himself that's the reason he was doing it for - not because he really wanted this, but he really did. Areas he finished with were now swollen and red, every inch of her skin massaged and attended to. He wondered how much more skin would have had to worship if she was full-fed. He'd never seen her well-fed body, all of her curves filled out. Did she look nice that way? Very likely. Would he ever see her like that? Not very likely. He'd deal with what he had. If they ever broke out, he'd make sure she ate as much as possible, and treat her skin and flesh like she was goddess.

Her top half was done with in just a few minutes. A needy whine made its way from her as he hovered over somewhere he hadn't yet touched directly - the blanket had a large bulge in it where he laid down, showing the form of his body as he caressed her legs and torso with his fingers. He turned his head to the side and worked on the deep cuts on her thighs instead of the part he'd hovered above. She squealed as he quickly worked through one and tiled his head the other way, quickly making work of the other.

That left one part, between her legs. Untouched by the net; never touched by his bone, or any magic-made appendages. His breath fanned over the sensitive organ and he heard her whine again, so, so needy. Begging for him. His tongue lolled out of his mouth, and a string of saliva dripped from the tip, landing on the top of her clit and lazily rolling downwards across her slit. "A-AAh~" She moaned, her spread legs almost tightening around his skull. So sensitive after all that massaging - he wondered what heaven she would feel as he actually got to work on it.

His tongue snaked around her clit, and he gave an experimental suckle on it. Her hands grasped the back of his skull tightly; her chest was letting in hitched, uneven breaths. A whisper of his name escaped her lips, and in response he pressed his teeth against her core, coaxing it like he would her mouth. That caused her to squirm under him, a breathy moan letting loose into the air. He recoiled his tongue and instead dipped it across her entrance, wondering what her walls would taste like. How they would feel against his tongue compared to her smooth, silky skin.

Her legs squeezed around the sides of his skull, trapping his face so it was stuck buried between her legs. He squeezed one of her thighs with his hand as he slipped his tongue inside of her, extending it with what magic he could and worming it around freely. It tasted amazing - like the best thing he'd ever eaten. He suckled on her entire core, his tongue working away at her walls as he brought his unoccupied hand around her other thigh and started to massage her clit since his tongue was busy. That earned a muffled scream from her as she no doubt had to muffle herself.

He wanted to hear her, though.

He was annoyed that she had to hide.

As his tongue pressed against a certain spot of her walls, she convulsed around his tongue, her body doing a small spasm as she climaxed into his mouth. With a few slurping noises, he left no trace behind. She moaned again, out into the open air, though the blanket he was under fucking muffled it. If it didn't trap that sweaty sex smell inside with him, he would've ripped it right off, but he didn't want to let go of that scent yet. Even though she would be overstimulated, he worked at her G-spot with his tongue, curling it around the spot and gently tugging on her clit with his fingers.

The pressure on the sides and back of his skull started to give him a headache. The overwhelming scent of sex and blood was the only thing keeping him from breaking away - the taste, the touch as well. Her arousal was so tasty, he could live off of it. He might have to. With another obvious climax she cummed in his mouth again, and with more slurps, he'd had another meal.

He withdrew his tongue slowly, then circled it around her clit again, sucking to his desire. She convulsed and climaxed a third time too quickly, and it ended up getting on the mattress and the bottom of his face. He smiled like an idiot and sat up, discarding the blanket. He licked her climax from his face in her full view as he took her in.

She was sprawled on her back, with her spine arched in bliss, though it was slowly falling back onto the mattress. Her eyes were glazed, and her mouth was agape. Her skin glistened with a mixture of sweat and saliva, though her thighs and core glistened with desire. All crimson had been licked from her flesh, and she was still dangerously pale. Her skin was covered in shallow cuts. Her legs were still spread for him, and he ran his fingers along the sensitive inner parts of her thighs, watching as she shuddered through her whole body.

"do you want me to really claim you?" He asked suddenly, now feeling the urge. The threat of loosing her had come up that day, and the thought was unspeakable. If he claimed her, he wouldn't have to worry about it. Her soul would be useless to those who wanted it, whoever they were. He highly doubted he even needed to ask, but he felt that she would know what he was doing. She looked confused for a moment at the question but nodded as best she could, closing her mouth. The fogginess cleared from her eyes.

They would be back very soon.

With a strand of magic, he pulled her bright green soul from her chest. It fluttered when it came into contact with open air, an unexpected change when being nestled so comfortably in her chest for so long. It shimmered as he sidled closer, straddling her naked hips. When realizing he was there, it suddenly called for him, the call resounding through his entire being as his soul tried to break through his ribcage and answer. He restrained himself, telling himself he could in just a moment - he wanted to make her squirm, first.

Show her even better pleasure.

His tongue dragged lazily across its surface as he pulled it closer to himself. Below him, it looked as though she'd had a seizure - she screamed his name to the open air, and he had to put a hand over her mouth to silence her in fear of getting caught. He caressed every shining inch of that lustrous green, the color of kindness. Showed it what pleasure he could offer her in return for becoming his mate. It called louder for him, and his ribcage started to pound as his own soul struggled to escape and rub against hers until she forgot her entire situation, everything she'd ever known.

He dragged it into his mouth, savoring the taste and feel of it all over his tongue. He sucked on it like a lolipop, watching as she didn't even know what to do with her body anymore. She twitched uncontrollably and spasmed, drool dripping from the corners of her mouth and her eyes glazing even more than before. His own soul ached now, begging him to let it touch her soul. A tiny brush. A little embrace. Combine their souls and intertwine them, claiming each other as soulmates until the end of time.

It popped from his mouth, and his soul rocketed from between his ribs to greet it. His upside-down, cracked and grayed soul looked like nothing compared to her beauty. It put his to shame. The two souls hovered in the air together, doing a little twirling dance around each other as his soul fought to touch hers and hers dodged ever-so-slightly to just avoid an embrace. He collapsed onto her body as he awaited when they would touch, glancing as the bright lights filled the room.

They touched.

Everything was background noise. Pleasure seared every bone in his body, causing him to climax at least twenty times over, though thankfully no genitals had been summoned to get anything messy. The body below him had genitals, though, and gushed all over his lower body as it went through its own pleasure. His magic tied around her soul, pulling it to his own, offering it love and pleasure and asking nothing more in return than mutual love and a mate. Her soul accepted, and their dance whirled energetically across the room, the walls bathed in fireworks.

It took what seemed like hours for it to calm down, their souls coming to a jittering stop above them. Tendrils of magic connected them now, slinging from his soul into hers, roping them together. Never-ending, overstimulating pleasure was all he could feel now, and it would stay that way until after their souls managed to separate from each other and back to their respective bodies. He never wanted it to happen. Everything was so... perfect. And right. He found that his hips had been pistoning against hers, even though his magic hadn't had the mind to form a cock of any sorts. With what strength he could manage, he nuzzled her softly.

Now, she was actually his. Until the end of time.

It would be that way forever.

After years of being lost and frightened in a world he never could have imagined, where his friends had either died or turned bloodthirsty, where he never even could have imagined what the sunlight might feel like, he'd found his light. She was snuggled underneath his body, trapped between him and the mattress. Her soul was above them, tangled against his with his own magic. He nuzzled her again drowsily before he started to drift into the realm of dreams.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 5004 words, 14.1 pages. Ok, so, lesson, people - never let me have my writing laptop past 10:00 PM to 1:13 AM, and have me work on a fic that has been established to have smutty parts of it now. Otherwise, you get this. Wonder what happened? Fucking soulmates. Morningstar? Dead. Over half this chapter in a single sitting, and I'll allow it. Sans' perspective is a new angle for this fic, and wherever it becomes bad writing, that is where he became really upset. (Totally not my half-asleep brain struggling. Hah. Then my brain was like 'hey, let's have more smut, shall we?')
> 
> Press F to pay respecc to Morningstar, everyone. Furry asshole blew it this time.


	12. Chapter Nine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The chapter where the origins of a cult leader is told.

Searing heat radiated from the sea of lava below, leeching into the black stone islands and paths streaking this way and that way, casting an orange-hued light. Sections of the rock paths were crumbling, making the available space for walking smaller and smaller as it slowly eroded and disappeared into the hostile ocean. The ceiling far above seemed endless, stretching as far as anybody could see; a giant machine loomed somewhere in the distance, though was so dark it was hard to see against the black walls.

Two silhouettes stood opposite one another. The center of the island they stood upon was dark, shrouding parts of them in darkness; their side closest to the edge was lit by the light the lava emitted, making them look to each other like black ghostly figures of dragons with orange lining. They were both dragons, and of considerable size. Despite being able to walk on their hind legs, they stood on all fours. One had a pair of wings, spreading them to make a threatening gesture. They circled around each other, the air between them crackling with intense hostility.

The one with wings had scales the color of mud, some parts of its body speckled with white scales. Its horns were long, though curved outwards at the ends, unlike the dragon opposite of it, whose horns curved inwards instead. Its eyes were a glowing orange, the color of lava. Its mouth was curled into a snarl, baring sharp teeth; its claws clenched, scraping against the black rocks. Its heavy weight thudded against the island as it walked, causing an avalanche of rock debris tumbling off of the edges.

The one without wings had scales the color of a pre-dawn sky, a gentle lapping of blue hinted with black. White scales encrusted the dragon's face and toes, like the dragon opposite. Its eyes were the same color, though a slightly gentler shade of orange, sheened with yellow. Its eyes were narrowed into slits, its own weight making the ground shake. Its tail dragged against the rocks, occasionally rising to strike the air as though it had some it a misdeed sometime in the past. They sized one another up, until finally coming to a stop in their circling, just glaring at one another.

"Did you call me here to meet you just so we could circle, or do you wanna actually talk?" The winged one growled. His voice dripped with sarcasm, dissolving into one laced with fake kindness.

The wingless one snarled. "Don't talk down to me, Ylvet. You know why I called you here." His voice was drenched in more hostility than the other, tears actually forming at the corners of his eyes. His muscles shook a little with rage. His voice kept steady, however.

"Because I chose to live through the famine, and not sit by and watch myself starve." Ylvet's ribs stuck out of his sides as though trying to press out of his hide. His scales stretched across his body and bones, putting his hunger on display. The dragon opposite had his own ribs sticking out to a similar degree. His own scales were spread thin along his body, spanning across hollow spaces where proper muscle used to be.

Before the other dragon could reply, he continued. "You've seen what happened to the Capital. So much of Hotlands. The dead and the dying crowding the streets. Cellia's dead already, Zaides. How long would they have lasted anyway, being already as thin as they were? Their bodies were barely anything to tear into."

"You fucking bastard..." Zaides seethed, his claws sinking into the rock. His eyes screwed shut as his teeth grinded; he opened them and sent a glare Ylvet's way. He took a step forwards threateningly, arching his back and snapping his jaws threateningly. "They were my  _children."_  His voice cracked, betraying his emotional pain. "You fucking ate my children. They did  _nothing_  to you. I thought you were a good person, that you'd..."

"I'd what? Not change when food stopped coming?"

Silence hung between them. Ylvet kept his head high. Zaides' head brushed the ground as he growled silently, letting his rage fester under the surface. Raw emotion came from every movement Zaides made, while Ylvet kept emotionless. They glared one another down, what was left of their muscles tensing and contracting as they poised, as if about to strike one another.

Ylvet continued. "Change is what this place needs, Z. We can't live like how we did before, when food was still around. You have to adapt or you'll die. What kind of life would little Traya and Boon have led in this new hell, when you tried to keep them alive when things only kept getting worse? They won't be getting better. Ever. A revolutionary food source is already here, but the weak monsters who hold onto the old life can't see it for what it is. They will fall, and the strong will pull through. Traya and Boon were not strong, but I am. They wouldn't have lived anyway, be glad it was too my own teeth."

"Fuck you!" Zaides roared, the noise rumbling from deep in his chest and echoing through the vast cavern. "Fuck you, fuck you, fuck you, fuck you! This bullshit isn't a fucking excuse! Things will get better, but with stupid,  _stupid_  people like you around, they won't! We're so close to having food again. So. Fucking. Close!" He slammed his feet into the rock, shaking the island as though an earthquake was rising through the Earth. His throat went raw from screaming and roaring at the top of his lungs, rage filling him still. It only grew as Ylvet seemed unfazed by his screaming, the dragon Zaides had once known no longer.

"Having a fit won't help you, you're just expending your energy."

With a roar, Zaides lunged forwards, colliding into Ylvet. He swung his claws and slashed across the dragon's sides as he toppled him over, rolling them both across the rock, close to the edge. He dipped his head down and tore into his neck, trying to, in vain, rip out the dragon's throat. Ylvet slammed his back feet into Zaides' belly, overthrowing him and knocking him onto the ground, nearer to the center of the island.

Within moments, Ylvet was on top of Zaides.

They brawled, tearing at what was left of each other's flesh, biting and slashing, trying to knock one another down and deplete their energy until they had nothing left and would die of exhaustion. The black rock was now splattered with crimson red, and the metallic stench of blood blended with the overwhelming scent of burning rock and sulfur. The heated rock burned against their scales where they touched it, and they fought to press one another against the rock in an attempt to burn them into a state of not being able to fight any longer thanks to pain. The tide of the battle shifted and shifted as it continued, one moment Ylvet winning, the next Zaides turning the tables.

Both were compelled to continue fighting for reasons unique to themselves. Blood pounded and roared in their heads, accompanied by their rushing and raging thoughts. The voices of his children thundered in Zaides' ears, imagining their screams as they were torn apart by the jaws of the dragon he tore into; Ylvet was focused more on the fight, trying to guide them to the edge of the island. Ylvet did think of what he thought the world would eventually lead to, a land where the weak were eaten and the strong ate, how Zaides would likely never see such a future when his flesh melted from his bones and he dusted.

Ylvet pinned Zaides to the rock, bringing his teeth close to the stubby ears poking out from just underneath his horns. "Embrace the future, Z," he whispered, "In your last moments." He grasped his ear between his teeth and ripped it from Zaides' head, in a splash of crimson. A roar of rage and agony came from Zaides' throat as he upturned Ylvet, rushing forwards and knocking him backwards, close to the edge.

"By then you will be dusted and gone," he replied harshly, slamming his shoulder into Ylvet and sending him sprawling closer to the edge. He had realized Ylvet's plans, and he worked quickly to reverse them into his favor.

"I'll be living in a utopia," he growled, giving Ylvet another hard shove towards the edge before he could regain his footing.

"Food everywhere, monsters happy. There's no suffering." He pushed him farther towards the edge, feeling his strength wane. Ylvet's tail already hung off the edge, but he still had more to go. Ylvet was already pushing back.

"More importantly, there's no monsters like  _you."_  He snapped his jaws, clamping Ylvet's snout between his teeth and crushing the bone there with what ounce of strength he had, moving him backwards in the same moment.

His eyes widened as Ylvet lunged to the side, swinging his head to the side to use Zaides' own momentum to take him over the edge.

The world slowed.

His grip on Ylvet's snout disappeared, taking chunks of his brother's scales with it. The blood stained his teeth, the metallic taste burning his tongue.

His eyes were directed below, to the sea of orange and black molten rock.

The ground below him had disappeared, replaced by the up-current of searingly hot air rising from the pit of lava he was falling into. Air resistance tugged at him but let him fall, freshening the pain of his many battle wounds.

The smell of sulfur burned his nostrils, and tears pricked the corners of his eyes.

Ylvet said something, but his ears didn't make out the words.

Just as he hit the surface of the lava, a burst of magic erupted from his scales, a firework show of brilliantly pure purple light, mixing with the color of the lava that started to swallow his body whole. It burned through his entire body, fiercer than the lava, as his head submerged.

~

~~ **S** ~~ **_~~i~~ ff _ ** _ e _ ~~o~~ er ~~ d ~~ _n ~~t~~_ ~~.~~

Iel _n_ ~~ **fe**~~ _o ~~h~~ er_. _ ~~ **ung**~~_ I **n** _o_ ~~h _a **ve**_~~ _ ~~fl **e**~~_ ~~ **s**~~ h.

M ~~ ** _y_**~~ _ss_ ~~ ** _n_** ew v~~ _ ~~e~~ e_ ~~ **o**~~ _l_ **is** _ ~~ **ad** e~~ _of _~~**m**~~_ ~~ **b**~~ _ ~~ **n**~~ e_.

 _ **I**_ **m _a_** _ ~~w~~_ **e** t ~~ _h e _~~~~ill re~~ ** _k_ ~~w~~ _o_** _ **s**_ ** _r_** a _n ew_ ** _l_ d** ~~.~~ _ ~~a v~~_ ~~ **e t**~~ _h_ ** ~~I w~~ ill** _ em_.

 **l s ~~a _l_~~** _th e_ **v eI** ~~ _w i a_llm~~.

 _N to m_ ** _h_ aer** w **a** k _t ia tt_ t **e** s.

~

From the depths, a bony claw rose from the surface, breaking through the thick lava pit to scrape against the cliffface of the island, dragging its sharp points across the black rock.

Ylvet watched, fixated, as his brother pulled himself from the very grasp of death, his body melted away to nothing more than bone. His eyes widened in surprise when he saw the tar, the magic-contained organs that survived the scalding embrace of the lava. He took an uneasy step backwards as what was once his brother dragged itself up the cliff, grasping the edge of the island and pulling itself onto the flat ground.

He was too stunned to move as the skeleton lurched unevenly forward and ripped out his throat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for being so goddamn inactive, I hit a writer's block. This wasn't a planned chapter, just a fun little window into the past. Your regularly scheduled chapter will be coming soon, I hope. This is going to become more of a focus as I struggle to get this son of a bitch done, so I can move on to what I've been planning - this fic's sequel. Anyway, hoped you enjoyed this little blurb of something I whipped up in a couple days' time for you guys to have SOMETHING.
> 
> You'll notice a word jumble. To make it easier, I separated them by lines, so it isn't a solid paragraph of indecipherable nonsense. There's a prize for decoding it first, and the most accurately - when I finish this fic, you can choose an extra chapter for me to write, at any time in this timeline as you please, as long as it makes sense to the timeline. It'll be canon, too. If that doesn't suit your fancy, well, you can spring for me posting an Epilogue as a teaser for the sequel. Happy decoding.
> 
> Last thought - how do you guys like Zaides now? I didn't give his character that much depth as I would have liked, so consider this a cheap attempt at getting you to, you know, care more about him. Also sort-of explain why the fuck he's a terrifying nightmare skeleton that haunts dreams (not that it explains the dream part pfft). Anyway, hope you guys enjoyed. Sorry for long space between chapters.


	13. Chapter Ten

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The chapter where the second main character's sibling is caught up on events, and the first main character is introduced to a town full of characters who'd like to see her deep-fried.

She woke up feeling warm and comfortable, thankful for the miracle that she'd lived through that amount of blood loss without too many obvious side effects. Although the blanket had been shed before she'd fallen asleep, he'd eventually gotten up and dragged it over them so she could be warmer than just what his body had to offer. She was trapped underneath him, his weight pinning her to the mattress. His face was buried into her neck, over the mark that had started to fade. He would bite over it again soon, to make sure the mark was visible for all to see.

Not that any people saw her that often. He just liked to see it for himself.

She was all his, after all.

Their souls had returned to their bodies in their sleep, tucked away into their chests. She could feel it now, even though it wasn't outside of her body anymore. A connection was present, and she could feel Sans' soul through the connection as well. It beat slowly in his ribcage, calling out for hers softly all the time. Hers let out responding calls. They conversed without conscious thought, having a small conversation she got the gist of. His soul was telling hers that under his protection, no matter what, she would be safe and happy - also that she didn't need to worry about a single thing. Her soul was accepting his protection without his asking anything in return for it other than mutual love.

Sans started to wake up shortly after her. She felt him nuzzle her neck, running his nasal cavity across the most sensitive part of it, causing her to shiver. His teeth parted and his tongue ran across the mark, then he sunk his teeth into her flesh, slotting them into place and biting down to renew it. She moaned quietly and she heard - and felt - him growl from low in his chest, though it turned into a rumbling purr of contentedness not long after. He pulled his teeth from her neck and licked up the tiny amount of blood, nuzzling the spot softly.

"hi," he greeted in a mumble, rolling his body off of hers to give her some breathing space. The space around her thighs was still damp; the clothes on his lower body had dried for the most part, but it was still visible. With him, he'd dragged the blankets from her. He was quick to sit up and place them back over her, to make sure she was warm, and her cuts were less open and exposed to the air. They still stung; it was the only part of her that felt uncomfortable. They just reminded her now of the net cutting into her skin, and the thought she was going to die.

What a mood dampener.

She murmured an indistinguishable greeting in return, her thoughts soured as she mulled over how she'd almost died. That would have been it for her - dead, gone. After all she'd been through. She'd promised him her soul, yes... but she didn't know she had at the time. He'd manipulated her. But now he's dead. Sure, she wasn't the one who directly killed him, and it's his fault for antagonizing Sans that way and trying to kill her, but... she felt guilty.

A nuzzle on her temple brought her back to reality. She turned her head to look at Sans, whose pupil was rounded with worry, gleaning her face as though trying to find the source of her sorrows. He hovered over her, one hand caressing her cheek while the other held up his upper body by pressing against the mattress right beside her head. He lowered his skull to give her a brief kiss on the lips, ending it with a soft, affectionate nuzzle to her face before sitting up straight and settling on trying to fish her hand out of the blankets so he could hold it.

His hands were kind of cold and hard, but handled her own so softly that she could almost forget that he was made of bone. Her body heat leeched into his heatless phalanges as he idly ran the tip of one of his fingers along the creases of her palm, turning her hand over and inspecting it gently.

She did nothing but watch for a couple moments, before she returned his gesture and explored the anatomy of his own hands with her own. She ran her finger along his hand and interlaced her fingers with his, squeezing weakly with great effort on her part. All worries had drifted away from her thoughts, replaced by a contentedness she often turned to, where she would forget and block out everything except for what was happening in the moment. The current moment was one easily enjoyed, filling her with good thoughts.

If she focused on the good, she could pretend the bad wasn't there.

Abruptly, the door to the room opened.

Sans jumped in surprise, lurching forwards in the same moment to, in some way, block her from view. She was shocked still like a deer in the headlights, eyes wide as she looked over towards the door and the unfamiliar figure who took a step inside. Sans cussed quietly under his breath when he realized his movements had been too late, though kept his body protectively over her own. She could still see who had walked into the room from under him.

"... paps," Sans greeted a bit weakly, his voice edged with hidden panic. "thought i told ya not to come in here."

"A NEW HUMAN JUST CAME OUT OF THE RUINS AND WE MISSED THEM! YOU'VE BEEN SLACKING OFF ON YOUR DUTIES, AND I WAS  _WORRIED_! I DIDN'T EXPECT THAT YOU'D HAVE A HUMAN IN HERE, THOUGH. I THOUGHT WE ATE HUMANS?"

The newcomer's voice was loud, causing her to wince at the volume. While it was definitely masculine, it was also on the higher end of that spectrum, the complete opposite of the deep, husky voice she had grown used to over time. It caused the start of a margarine growing in her brain, pulsing against her temples.

She chose to ignore what he'd said at the end, her mind turning it to static.

From her point of view on the floor, she could immediately tell the new skeleton was taller than Sans. Much taller. He slouched too, but that did little to lessen his looming height. He wore what appeared to be a costume, with a bulky white chestpiece adorned with medals and badges. It came with matching gloves and boots, both of which were a dull red color, matching the ragged old scarf tied around his neck. The exposed bones of his arms, legs, and spine were wrapped in a skin-tight - or, rather, bone-tight - black fabric. His face was in a shape much more similar to that of a human skull, though something was... wrong. The teeth were crooked and stained with something red. The eyes were small and somewhat beady, sunken down in the skull until they were almost on the same level as his nasal cavity.

Despite his appearance, he radiated a naive and excitable aura.

Sans had tensed considerably as soon as the last sentence left the new skeleton's mouth."c-can ya not mention _that_ in front of 'er, paps? it might upset 'er."

"WHY WOULD YOU CARE ABOUT WHAT A HUMAN FEELS?" 'Paps' seemed confused. Baffled, even.

"that's... complicated, bro." Ah, they were brothers. That made a lot of sense, and explained why he was there. "can we talk for a sec?"

"WE'RE ALREADY TALKING, SANS."

"not in my room."

"AH, OK. WILL THE LIVING ROOM SUFFICE?"

"sure, sure, whatev'."

"I'LL SEE YOU THERE, THEN!"

Sans' brother closed the door behind him as he left.

She looked back up to Sans as he looked down at her, worry etched clearly on his skull. A sweatdrop had formed on his forehead, dripping down his brow and dissipating before it dripped from his mandible. She heard him clench his teeth, the soft grinding noise as his hidden molars gritted together, dragging the sharp points along each other. His iris, sharpened as his thoughts hummed with possible solutions to the new problem that had just reared its ugly head, and how it became a fraction smaller as it focused intently on something past her, though at the same time was trained on her face.

"... do you... wanna talk?" He attempted to offer, vague in his wording. She knew what he was asking; if she wanted to talk with him about what was said.

_'I THOUGHT WE ATE HUMANS?'_

When she shook her head, he let out a deep sigh. "so we're not goin' to discuss that, then... but i should get you dressed. paps will prob'ly wanna talk to ya, and a blanket isn't enough cover for walkin' around." He shifted off of her, and off the bed, walking across the room. The dip in the mattress when he moved caused her to move a bit, and she clutched the blanket a little closer to herself when it almost slipped off.

She hoped she would be able to walk without leaning on Sans - sure, he exercised her once a day with a couple laps around the room, but she always had to hold onto him like a lifeline or she'd fall. The muscles in her legs hadn't been properly used in what felt like centuries, with all the aches that came from such disuse. The fact she occasionally took a pill to keep her muscles weak definitely wouldn't help with that, either. At least it was wearing off from her last dose, so hopefully that would have some positive affects on her walking abilities.

... Falling was still very, very likely.

He returned to the bedside, a bundle of clothes in his arms. She took a moment to sit up, resting her back on the wall as he took a seat on the mattress, letting the bundle drop in a pile. The blanket sagged from its spot covering her top half, eventually covering nothing when Sans pulled it away so she could get properly dressed. He fished through the pile, handing her a familiar white bra as he started shimmying her panties up her legs. As he made sure they were on properly, she clipped her bra on, her weak fingers slipping a couple times as she struggled to get the clips on correctly.

"arms up," he ordered, and he put her hoodie on for her. As the fabric rubbed against her nose, she could still smell faint traces of the forest she had spent a large chunk of time in; it was slowly being washed away, overpowered by Sans' own scent. His scent wasn't too far from the forest, though. Pine and spruce, melting snow and dew... blood. Faint, faint blood. A metallic tang that seemed to always find a way through her nose to her tongue, souring her entire mouth.

Next he wormed her legs through her jeans. He made a noise from his chest when he noticed that they sagged around her thighs and hips, where the fat that held the jeans on had been lost in the time she'd starved. He got off the bed again, retrieved a belt from amid the wasteland of clothing scattered about his room, and used it to keep the jeans from falling off her hips because nothing was holding them up.

"SANS WHAT'S TAKING YOU SO LONG?!" The shout from downstairs caught her off guard, causing her to jump.

" 'll be out there in a sec, pap!" He replied, grabbing her hand and hastily helping her to her feet. The sudden lurch upwards wasn't good to help her adjust to standing, and she almost instantly got a head rush. Her vision was clouded with dark patches, obscuring everything. She felt light-headed, and her knee buckled and shook under her own frail weight. The effect lessened when she was hugged to Sans' chest, and he acted as a solid anchor, keeping her upright.

He made a coo noise in her ear, rubbing circles into her back. "you a'ight?"

"I'm fine," she attempted to assure, her head still reeling. The entire world shifted and whirled whenever she looked away from the comfort of his t-shirt, and her legs got a little wobblier each time. Her fear of heights was heightened by how far away the ground seemed, even though her feet were touching the floor.

"... no, you're not. 'll let ya sit on the couch downstairs."

Sans moved her in a way that she leaned against his side instead of his chest. He wrapped one of his arms around her waist, keeping a firm - yet soft - grip to make sure she was steady. She draped her arm over his shoulders from where it had been squished between them, clenching his acromium proccess and part of his scapula through his parka. He made a noise as she clutched onto his opposite shoulder, glancing over at her as she tried to make the position as comfortable as possible.

He led her out of the room.

Walking along flat ground was somewhat easy, since Sans offered more than enough support and help on the way. He might as well had been carrying her, all of her weight directed away from her legs. All she really had to do was take weak, wobbly steps along the floor and keep her feet from dragging along with them. He did slow down if she was having trouble keeping up and her feet would start to drag. He would take much shorter strides, and take long breaks in between so her lower half could keep up with her upper half.

This would definitely be enough exercise for the day. She didn't want to move more than she needed to, otherwise she could harm herself. She was already treading along a thin line. The blood loss wasn't helping, and the dose of medicine she took last hadn't worn away all the way, so if she pushed herself she could easily end up damaging her frail body. She even considered skipping exercise the next day, if this small journey added up to more than she had anticipated, which was likely.

The stairs at the end of the indoor balcony didn't seem very inviting. Insanely steep steps, an uneven mix-match of wider and narrower steps, no rail whatsoever along the side to offer any kind of support. She tensed as they seem to only get steeper and steeper, the bottom floor getting farther and farther away from her. Her vision swam again as she became light-headed. She looked away from the stairs, trying to get rid of her sudden nausea.

She let out a surprised squeak noise as her support switched itself, flinging the world around as it shifted. Her upper body was curled up and clutched to Sans' chest, while his other arm went under her knees, keeping her legs safely off the stair's steps and away from where they could hit the wall. He gave her a quick, affectionate nuzzle on the forehead before she rested her head on his shoulder, getting comfortable as he started his descent down the staircase.

His brother was waiting impatiently downstairs, tapping his foot on the ground as a way for something to do as he waited. When they approached, he stood a little taller, though still slouched. He stared at her as Sans placed her in a comfortable position on a worn-down couch, allowing her to shift a little to get as comfy as possible on the lumpy and awful-smelling once-green fabric. His gaze switched back to Sans, who sat on the arm of the couch lazily to avoid standing during the conversation.

"IT TOOK YOU LONG ENOUGH, SANS! IS THIS ANOTHER ONE OF YOUR ELABORATE PRANKS? BECAUSE A PRANK ISN'T A GOOD ENOUGH REASON TO MISS A PASSING HUMAN!" He was straight to the point, and rather blunt about it. His volume still caused her to wince, and she wondered if he knew what an 'inside voice' was, though scolded herself right after for thinking rudely of Sans' sibling.

Sans wasn't bothered by his brother's accusation, instead idly shrugging and lazily resting his back against the wall. "i wouldn' have soulbonded wi' her if it was. paps, this is (y/n). (y/n), this is papyrus."

"... SANS, I'M CONFUSED. WHY...?"

"i love her, paps."

"OH.  _OH_!" Realization dawned on the taller skeleton's slimmer skull. "DOES THAT MEAN I CAN CALL HER 'SISTER'? OOH, OOH, WILL YOU HAVE KIDS? I'D LIKE TO BE AN UNCLE! I DIDN'T THINK I'D EVER GET THE CHANCE, BUT, NOW, THIS IS SUCH GOOD NEWS! AND I BET YOU HAVEN'T EVEN BEEN ON A DATE! WE'LL HAVE TO FIX THAT." He gushed on and on, excitement leaking into his voice.

"h-hold on a second there, paps-" Sans attempted to stop him, but Papyrus was already on a roll.

"GRILLBY'S IS REALLY THE ONLY PLACE THAT SERVES FOOD, BUT I DON'T THINK SHE'D... THAT WOULD NOT WORK. I COULD MAKE SOMETHING HERE, HOWEVER, AND YOU COULD DO IT ELSEWHERE! DO YOU KNOW ANY PLACES WE CAN SCAVENGE ANYTHING REMOTELY ROMANTIC FROM? WHEN'S THE LAST TIME WE SAW A CANDLE? I'M SURE SOMETHING ELSE WILL DO, THOUGH. BUT THE FIRST DATE HAS TO BE PERFECT, AND I WILL MAKE SURE IT IS SO!"

"... paps. she can't leave the house."

"BEING KILLED BY THE PEOPLE OF SNOWDIN CAN BE EASILY AVOIDED! SIMPLY GO OUT THERE, AND ANNOUNCE TO EVERYBODY THAT ATTACKING THIS CERTAIN, PARTICULAR HUMAN IS OFF-LIMITS! I'M SURE THEY'LL UNDERSTAND YOUR REASONING AND RESPECT YOUR DECISION, BROTHER. THEY ALWAYS DO."

~

Everybody was staring.

The monsters that made up the population of the small, snowy town all stopped what they had been doing before, directing their attention to them as soon as they'd exited the home. Nobody was bothering to hide the fact that they were staring at them. Eyes from all directions were studying her like she wasn't even a person, just a curious slab of meat found in the wrong place, wondering how it got to be there when it was supposed to be in the kitchen.

She kept her gaze down the snow, trying not to meet any of their eyes. Trying to gather her strength to walk was hard enough, but it was especially hard when she could FEEL the eyes boring into her from all sides, burning through her flesh and trying to gouge what spice would go best with her cooked flesh.

There were so many people.

She was scared.

Over the time she'd been with Sans, she had gotten used to it just being the two of them, sometimes just herself for stretches of time. He was one of the only non-threatening presences to her in this hell, and she had no complaints about how he sheltered her from everybody else. That shelter had now been stripped away, and she was left with nothing against the harsh reality of the Underground again. The blatantly staring eyes, curious and hungry looks, the sheer amount of people milling around the little town... It was so much, all of a sudden. She wanted to run back inside of his home and curl into a ball to hide for the next thousand years.

Sans gave her waist a reassuring squeeze, tethering her attention to him instead. He radiated this certain heat from his bones, acting as mediocre space heater in the cold air of the outside world. He didn't produce nearly as much as a human - most of his current heat was stolen from her earlier - and the amount of heat was declining the longer they were outside, but the temporary comfort was meaningful all the same. It was better than the bitingly cold air that nipped at all of her exposed skin, leeching away her body heat without bouncing it back to her in the slightest.

She turned her eyes from the ground he was leading her across to the monster himself, who looked uncomfortable. Beads of nervous sweat rolled down his skull, like earlier. His bones were tense, as though he anticipated an attack from one of the monsters they were passing on the way to the center of town. His iris was sharpened and small, darting around but never sticking in one place, avoiding everybody's questioning gazes. That squeeze a moment earlier had probably been a reassurance to himself, too.

They reached the destination, coming to a stumbling halt.

A stand had been set up in the center of the town, against the treeline. Its boards were rickety and covered in splintery shards; the nails holding it together looked half-screwed, about to pop off and let the structure collapse with the slightest touch of the breeze. Dying vegetation had tried to crawl up the front of the stand, but they had wilted not even halfway up, clustering around the edges. It looked like it hadn't had anybody touch it in years, and now it looked beyond any point of use, unable to be used for it was meant for originally (whatever that happened to be). She vaguely recalled a similar, less worn structure closer to the exit of the Ruins, but she'd been in too much of a rush to investigate that one.

Sans let her go and helped her down to sit at the base of the stand so she wouldn't have to be standing the entire time. She tried to make herself comfortable, but he cold was easily passing through her clothes, and a shiver of cold was finding its way into her frail bones. She looked at him and wondered what he was doing as he walked behind the stand.

Despite the questionable stability of the structure, he stepped up and stood on the counter of the stand like it was podium. The top of his head barley reached the top of the stand, a broad plank that kept the snow from piling up all over the counter and whoever sat behind, but the new height he now stood at was still intimidating. The crowded streets and alleys of Snowdin turned their attention to the skeleton, shuffling over for a closer view and to be within reasonable earshot. It didn't take them very long to settle down and listen, preserving their energy and wondering what it was he had to say.

His voice cut through the newfound silence like a knife through thick, tough meat. "there's a new rule," he announced, scanning his eye over the audience. The friendly, protective air she was used to was shattered by the new one he took when addressing the other monsters. She'd forgotten how threatening he could be, and how scary he looked. He continued, making slight motions with his hands as he spoke. "ya can touch all humans 'cept this one. she's the exception to the  _other_  rule. if ya wanna complain and bitch and moan about it, 'll be cutting your rations. you'll treat 'er with respect, like she's one of us. that clear?"

Murmurs of disagreement went through the crowd, but nobody openly objected to Sans' face.

"oh, and like the other policy, don't breath a word o' this elsewhere. the punishment's worse for that 'un. i hear a single thing 'bout a human in snowdin from anywhere else in this hellhole, 'll find the culprit and their dust'll be decoration all over the fuckin' walls. anybody caught attackin' 'er, upsettin' 'er,  doin' anythin' to 'er i wouldn' approve of, gets dusted."

The weight of the announcement resounded deep in the souls of the gathered monsters, ones who had looked at her hungrily earlier regarding her with newfound wariness. They quickly dispersed as soon as Sans maneuvered off of the stand, hopping off and onto the snow, eager to get away from the newest threat to their safety in case they messed up badly and ended up dying because of it.

Hostility melted away from him as soon as he was on stable ground. His shoulders slumped again from how they had been drawn tight. His facial expression switched from a glare to softness as he helped her back to her feet, getting her cold body away from the freezing snow, the iris turning dull and widening considerably from the sharp and small pin-prick it had been earlier. He seemed much more relax, at ease. The Sans she was much more used to.

"that turned out well, didn' it?" He mused, holding her close.

She nodded.

... It was unsettling how quickly he changed moods, as though a simple switch-flip had turned him from this terrifying persona to a protective, caring guy. Maybe that's how he acted regularly. She'd only seen him like that once before, when he'd killed Morningstar as easy as snapping his fingers, and didn't even feel guilty about it afterwards in the slightest. That time it was a lot worse, she could tell, even though it was fuzzy in her memory since she wasn't exactly in the best state of mind at the time. It was like all kindness had disappeared completely from him, replaced with a pulsing, swelling hatred and hunger for violence, and as soon as she was safe he was back to normal.

Which side of him was his usual demeanor, and which was the real him?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 12.4 pages · 4280 words. You guys kept BEGGING me for Papyrus, so here you are, though I'm not sure how well it's ended up for you in the long run. Looks like she's finally found out the secret ingredient, though currently she's in this state of denial. I would probably be, too. That's a lot of shit to put on a girl at once. Papyrus is such a good boy nonetheless, even if he doesn't quite grasp the concept of a human being upset that you eat humans on a regular basis. And our boy Sans is starting to show some true colors, to her shock. She'd started to see him in a much different light than at first, and she's come to expect him to be this loving guardian who could do (next to) no wrong. Nah, fam, he's quite the opposite.
> 
> Happy late B-Day to my editor, Madison! I should have really posted this yesterday, ON your birthday, but things get in the way, ya'know? Including a writer's block ditch for this that I managed to pass over. You guys should wish her late happy b-day. She's gone through so many spoilers and rants and "HEY DOES THIS LOOK GOOD" and "PLEASE RATE THIS" and I really can't thank her enough for being such a good friend to me and putting up with my constant bullshit.
> 
> OH HAHA AND 1. MY BUS GOT STRUCK BY LIGHTNING 2. MY WIFI WENT OUT ALL DAY THE OTHER DAY 3. IT'S FLOODED HERE 4. THE CLIMAX OF THE FIC IS ALMOST HERE GUYS HOPE YOU'RE AS EXCITED AS I AM AND 5. SOMEBODYS HOUSE DOWN THE STREET CAUGHT FIRE


	14. Chapter Eleven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The chapter where the two main characters go on a first date long after what is considered acceptable, and we get a glimpse at what starts the beginning of the end.

If there were any crickets left in the Underground, they would be chirping.

A lone candle flickered in between them, casting a ghostly glow over Sans' features. Thick layers of dust clung to the tan-colored wax, wiped away by the little streams of melted wax that dripped down the candlestick. The light from the little quivering flame fought away the creeping, absolute darkness of the Underground's night hours.

They sat together on a spread-out, scratchy blanket he had nabbed from elsewhere, surrounded by the intimidating and overwhelming forest scenery. It was an extra layer between the snow and her flesh, and she was incredibly grateful for it, even if it wasn't much. She shivered, staring down the flame in hopes that just seeing it would somehow magically warm her up again, if possible.

The silence that hung between them was stifling. She busied herself with trying to focus on the flame and nibbling on the food they had brought - the soft, inner bark of a tree that  _almost_  tasted like something on her tongue. Sans didn't do anything of the sort. He just sat on the blanket, cross-legged, just staring at her with his dilated red iris and taking in her appearance for what seemed like the thousandth time that night. The lengthy shadows that crawled across his skull only made his iris appear to glow and bloat further, adding to his creepy aura as he just... stared.

 Finally, she spoke.

"Are you going to eat anything too?" She was kinda worried about him. She wasn't one to understand monster biology, but she knew all living things had to eat to survive. It was only logical - yet at the same time a little illogical - that a skeleton monster would have to eat too, to keep on thriving. Papyrus ate, she knew that, so that was an example, but she had never seen Sans eat anything, in the entire time she'd known him. She'd seen the hunger in his eye from time to time, and she knew he tried to hide it from her, which only made her worry more.

He took a moment, but finally shook his skull, his iris finally leaving her and looking over to the side, into the darkness of the woods.

"... You should. Eat something," she piped up in the next span of silence, in an attempt to break it again. The next words came out like a landslide, and she couldn't stop herself once the words started to tumble from her mouth. "I get that you're a skeleton and I'm not sure how your biology works, but you should eat something. You just seem so hungry sometimes and I don't want you to suffer and just watch  _me_  eating something because that would be incredibly rude of me to do. I-I also don't wanna be pushy, if you really aren't hungry, but please don't lie to me, I really care for you and don't want you feeling hungry."

His smile spread a little, and he looked at her again. His staring was less intense. " 'm touched, love, but i don' need it.  _you_  do. 'll be fine."

Unconvinced, she begrudgingly let off the subject. She'd get him to eat something another time.

" 'sides," he continued, "you're pretty when you eat somethin'."

That was an odd compliment.

Nonetheless, her face heated a bit, to the tiniest degree.

"you're shiverin'."

He was right. She'd nearly forgotten how the cold was still trying to freeze her limbs, all in the new light of worry for Sans. Now she was shaking like a leaf being tossed about by a strong late-autumn wind that had somehow turned much colder.

She had expected it when he moved the candle and sidled to sit at her side, wrapping a heavy arm around her shoulders and pulling her onto his lap.

She had expected it when he made her get comfortable, wrapping his stained blue parka around her and zipping it up partially to keep her inside, where it could trap more body heat and give her warmth.

The fur of his hood tickled the side of her face, the frost that clung to the soft strands melting as soon as they came into contact with her warm skin. Her face was flushed a dark red in embarrassment. She shuffled around her legs so they were pulled up to her chest, further stretching out his parka, but he didn't mind. The smell of the woods was mingled with his scent, overpowering her nose and making her relax. Her bark was forgotten on the blanket as he snuggled her closer to his ribcage, purring quietly in her ear as he nuzzled the side of her head.

He nudged her head to the side, making her expose the marked side of her neck. She shuddered as he nipped the sensitive skin with his sharp-pointed teeth. He pressed his teeth all along the sensitive parts, seemingly knowing from memory exactly what got the best reactions from her. He ran his tongue along her neck, the tingle of magic pleasant against her skin. The cold air left the saliva-drenched parts of her neck freezing, but was overshadowed as he moved lower along the juncture of her neck and shoulder, licking and nipping her skin as he went.

"... Sans," she attempted to stop him, but he continued, acting like he didn't hear her.

"Sans," she said, more sternly. He faltered, then led gentle kisses up her shoulder and up her neck, until he was kissing the side of her face, purring an apology.

"We can do this when we get back, alright? I wanna talk, not make out with you in the woods." The only reply elicited from the skeleton was a gruff huff, the slight movement of his upper body not gone unnoticed in her curled position in his coat. She offered no reaction when he tried to convince her otherwise with soft neck kisses and licks, until he gave up, gave her a nuzzle, and settled back down.

"whaddya wanna talk 'bout?" He prompted, his deep voice coming from somewhere extremely close to her ear. His breath fanned across the side of her head, a temporary escape of the winter's cold grip.

She shrugged lightly, trying not to shift the fabric from off of her shoulders. "Well, we could ask personal questions about each other, right? I don't even know what your favorite color is, or your hobbies. All I know about you is that you like me, your brother, you don't clean your room, and that your first name is Sans. That's pretty much all I could gather about you so far in the entire time I've known you."

He chuckled, and she felt it rumble against her back. " 's my fault fo' that. better late'n never, i su'pose. my favorite color is blue, an' i haven' got much time fo' hobbies nowadays. how 'bout you, love?"

"I also love blue, and I used to have a couple hobbies. Night walks, reading, playing games... really fun stuff. Those aren't exactly the most available things down here, though." Her voice turned a little sour towards the end as she mourned over the loss of her pastimes. What did rise her spirits was that she was already seeing similarities between them. She might've been grasping at straws, but she felt good that they at least both liked the color blue and didn't have time for their hobbies anymore. It gave her good hopes for what other stuff they might have in common that they could bond over.

He nuzzled the side of her head comfortingly. "what was your job on the surface?"

"I was in college, was gonna be a nurse or doctor. Education's a bit of waste down here where I can't even get near anybody to help them, and I don't have the supplies I need. It's... frustrating, a bit. At least I helped somewhat with Taki's snakes at fi-"

_" d o n ' t     m e n t i o n     h i m ."_

Frightened shivers crawled up her spine, tingling uncomfortably as his body went rigid, clutching her to his chest so tightly that her legs were tucked in a cramping, crushed position into her chest and chin. His voice had deepened, the rumble similar to a lightning strike after it strikes the ground, almost like an earthquake. Sans' teeth were pressed dangerously against an important artery in her neck, reminding her that he could very easily kill her if he wanted to. It chilled her blood.

"I-I won't! Ever again! I swear! W-who were we talking about again? Never heard of him, r-really," She spluttered out, the words catching in her throat before she could spit them out to try and reassure him. The terror shown through her voice, making her stutter and her voice higher-pitched. She really hoped she hadn't fucked up.

He relaxed, his grip practically melting around her. His friendly purring returned, replacing the growl that had bubbled from his chest moments earlier. He nuzzled her affectionately, a bit apologetic, obviously having forgiven her for mentioning somebody she shouldn't have. It took her a moment longer to finally relax again, recovering from his unexpected and sudden aggression. She stayed utterly silent, afraid of messing up and saying the wrong person's name again.

Sans didn't talk either.

He scooped back up the bark that had been forgotten and fed it to her, still clutching her to him like a doll. She was lulled into a comfortable state, compliant and happy to be fussed over. She made a note to continue the conversation another time, and make sure to word herself with a heavy filter the next time around.

~

_Squelch, squish._

The sound echoed eerily through the empty caverns and passages, accompanied only by the distant roar of a waterfall that didn't ever seem to get closer. The entire biome was a mass of swamps and water meadows, rivers and lagoons, connected by thick mud and trickling streams. Remnants of an old path had been eroded by time, now overcome by mud and flooding, the black rock that had once made up the path scattered, half-submerged now. The same black rock made up the walls and ceiling that stretched above, smooth as obsidian.

A blue glow radiated from the water, though dull and dreary. It could have been a once vibrant and beautiful color, but now a toxic environment and lack of bioluminescent plants had diminished the glow to its current state. The light it could have once provided was now almost completely gone, leaving the land dark, letting shadows loom and crawl along everything, consuming areas they hadn't touched before.

All plants had been stripped from the vast watery wasteland, leaving nothing but the rock, mud, and water left. The animals that could have once thrived were long gone; no bones were left of them, devoured in the same famine that took what they fed upon. No stem or even shred of life remained. It was empty and completely barren.

Except for a single person.

The mud dragged down at the child's feet, almost like quicksand trying to suck her down into its thick and suffocating depths, as if it too was hungry along with everything else. It had already claimed one of her shoes, which had been pulled right off of her foot what seemed to have been hours ago in her endless trek. She had a feeling the other wasn't too far behind to desert as well, alongside the once-white mud-drenched sock clinging to her foot. 

She had been travelling through, trying to find a way out of the hell she'd found herself trapped inside. Her narrow escape from the frozen iceland out of nightmares had been a close call, barely slipping past the monsters that inhabited the once-cozy town; from there she had fled into the watering hole made by Satan himself, which had been one of her biggest mistakes. But where else she could she have gone? If she'd lingered a second longer she wouldn't have lived to tell the tale.

... who knows? She still might not live to warn others of this absolute, actual hell on Earth.

Most likely scenario would be that she would starve to death wandering the bog forever, or some monster would find her and eat her.

That wasn't the way she wanted to go.

No, she would go down fucking fighting.

She was fifteen, and she was damn well going to make it to her sixteenth birthday. Suicide was her plan, but now all she wanted to do was get the fuck out of the Underground and immediately scream - at the top of her lungs if she had to - a giant warning to every person who would listen to stay the hell away from the cursed mountain.

Anger boiled just beneath her surface, simmering away the sadness and desperation she felt at the prospect of dying down there. She was filled with PERSEVERANCE.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 6.5 pages · 2209 words. Sorry this is around half the usual length, but I needed to get this one out of the way. I took a long and unwanted writing vacation after Netflix, Youtube, and my Xbox 1 grabbed me by the ankles and dragged me in the deepest pits of hell. Anyway, just finished watching Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and playing a 10$ game I bought myself. I recommend it - 10$ downloadable game on the Xbox 1 called "The First Tree". The game and gameplay is beautiful and inspiring, and the story is magnificent. I got stuck on a certain part though and now i'm fucking dYING
> 
> Ahem.
> 
> Sans starts to crumble a bit and show his darker side, and scares the ever-living shit out of reader. What do you guys think? Oh, and our Missing Human here starts a chain event that leads us to the climax. Only ONE MORE chapter after this until it's time, boys. AND WE WILL GO TOGETHER AND SUFFER SO BE P RE PA RE D


	15. Chapter Twelve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The chapter where the second main character acts different than normal, and the town who once only knew hunger finally find a spark in the endless void.

A new daily routine began to form not soon after her introduction to the inhabitants of Snowdin.

She would wake up, gnaw on some bark to get something in her stomach, and Sans would take her out of the house for a lap around Snowdin. The new exercise was more refreshing than doing more laps in Sans' room, where the walls were much farther spread and she wasn't tripping on a clothing item or stray trash item that typically cluttered his floor. She hadn't mentioned it to him, but staying in his room all the time was taking a toll on her claustrophobia, and walking around outside - as 'outside' as the Underground can manage - had done her some good. It was a little more exhausting, but the roomier track and crisp air was worth it. Not even mentioning the fact that her legs were getting stronger and she could walk a couple paces at a time without leaning on Sans all the time.

At first, the monsters would gawk at her and occasionally glare, as though offended she hadn't hopped into the fryer as soon as she showed her face. As time went on they changed their tune. They begun to greet her, and they had small snippets of conversation. Normal conversations she would expect to have on the surface. The weather, how their day was going - usually 'hungry', as to be expected - and all sorts of other things. She learned quite a few names, and they seemed pleasantly surprised when she could greet them all by name after just hearing it once.

... She hadn't remembered names that well on the surface. Free time to memorize names did wonders.

Papyrus had been incredibly friendly, and their friendship was almost instant as soon as they started talking together. He was quirky, and a tad morbid, but she found his presence to be comforting and entertaining whenever Sans was out doing things he wouldn't explain. Papyrus took up a new hobby after a couple days of them talking, and within a day she was given a spread of differently-prepared bark and ordered to taste-test them all. They'd ranged from roasted over a blazing fire to fried, saturated in melted snow to rubbed with dug up onions that had wilted years ago. She liked quite a few of the options, and from then on Papyrus had become her personal chef, preparing the soft inner bark of the pine trees however she liked them on demand. She insisted on helping sometimes, but he'd politely refuse and tell her to sit down and wait for her meal to be served.

Personally, she would recommend anybody to eat Papyrus' roasted pine bark. It was baffling how he managed to make a five-star meal out of such poor ingredients and tools.

Sans had given their friendship his stamp of approval, sometimes leaving her home alone with just Papyrus so they could get some bonding time. She didn't mind; she highly enjoyed her time with the lanky and energetic skeleton, who always seemed very eager to please his newest friend. His volume was forgiven when compared with his optimistic and naive demeanor. He was a lovable person, easily.

Other did not get that same approval that Papyrus did.

Monsters who dared to stray too close to her when she ventured outside were met with severe hostility from the normally-docile Sans. He'd practically bristle and hiss or glare, acting like a cat whose territory you were trying to walk in. His grip on her would become so harsh his nails actually drew blood one time, which he apologized for when he realized it later on in the day. They learned quickly that they could talk with her, but becoming too friendly or coming too close was something dangerous to do, and she was left struggling to keep them from running away as soon as she passed by. His possessiveness was starting to bother her, but she never mentioned anything, and just took it with a grain of salt. She was thankful he let other people talk to her at all, instead of just keeping her holed up in his room like he wanted to. Papyrus had to drag him out some days - he would be more hostile to others during those, and nobody even breathed in her general direction whenever he got like that.

He just wanted to keep her as safe as possible, and she could appreciate that. She did appreciate that. But appreciation couldn't stop it from getting on her nerves sometimes.

Sans would sometimes actually voice how he didn't think it was safe for her to talk with other monsters. He pointed out that they would eat her if he wasn't there to protect her without a second thought, and they were only trying to get her to trust them so they could try and eat her anyway. He seemed really upset about it all, but gave in after she pointed out that he never left her completely alone, and after she promised that she wouldn't ever try and be alone with monsters that weren't him or Papyrus. That didn't make him any friendlier to everyone else, but at least she'd soothed his concerns and he still let her come out walking.

She wondered how long he had lived there, or even how old he was. How long he lived alongside the other people of Snowdin. He'd probably been nicer to them previously, but as soon as she came along she'd shattered his kindness to others completely thanks to him being worrisome and fretful about her health. She wished he'd be more friendly with people who were his friends, but not all wishes could be granted.

Over time she had come to accept the two sides of Sans.

The comforting, friendly one that cared so dearly for her health that it made her heart melt. Who didn't eat a single crumb of anything, giving her his share of food, despite all of her protests about it. This drive to give her affection all the time, non-stop, and to make her feel better even if he suffered for it.

The hostile, cold one that could kill and not feel a single shred of guilt. The one that growled at his friends, the one that felt like only he and very few other people could interact with her. The very, very possessive one. The one that bossed around and abused others, glaring them into the ground. The one that stalked her at the beginning, and kidnapped her to assure her safety, tricking her and stealing her clothing to make sure she would stay there no matter what, but would never physically harm her on purpose.

They contrasted so greatly, and the change could be so sudden. It had taken a long time of adjusting to get used to. It was just one of those things a person has to deal with, like some stupid household rule they don't fully approve of or a greedy roommate who always wanted to steal a bite of someone's food every time they put something in the fridge. They just got used to it and it became second nature to just expect it to happen, and they weren't as devastated whenever the roommate did steal that bit of food they'd planned on eating or they accidentally broke the rule and found themselves with a punishment. The situation didn't matter as much and didn't take them by surprise, and they could deal with it more effectively each time as a result.

... Another thing she was grateful for was that she still didn't have to deal with having a menstrual cycle. The nutrients she was getting was just enough to survive and get a measly bit of exercise, but not enough to have an actual period every month. She had no way of containing that blood, and she had no idea how Sans would react to that. He got crazy about blood - if she bled for an entire week, and from  _there_ , he might put her in quarantine like she'd just caught the black plague, with some reasoning she'd never be able to guess to explain his actions. If she ever got it, she'd have to explain it to him, and that would be so  _awkward_.

Heh. As if awkwardness was the most worrying thing in her life.

Not having her menstrual cycle for so long didn't seem healthy, but she figured if a pregnant woman could handle it for nine months, she could handle not having one for five - or six, she wasn't sure. Time was hard to tell down there - even if the situations were plenty different, she'd be fine. Probably.

As the days went on, the more worried she got about him.

He always hid how hungry he was. He'd crack jokes and make sure she was as well-fed as possible, but she still had never seen him take a bite of anything. He did his best not to look as though he was just as starving as anybody else - an easy thing to do for a skeleton. Although the longer she knew him the more she could read him, and the more she realized just how much suffering he was going through. Some days he was hit harder than others - he looked ready to fall over, weak as her, drooling whenever he looked at her. His saliva was a pitch-black color whenever he was in such a mood, and it was disturbing to see it dripping from between his normally-closed teeth. One time his spine actually cracked, and he'd collapsed to the floor of his bedroom. She had stayed on the mattress, away from him, as he'd ordered her to do to avoid any... 'accidents', to quote him on the matter. It was unnerving whenever his unhungry, happy and caring facade crumbled to the ground, replaced with such a starving, wild, and barbaric face. It, frankly, scared the ever-living fuck out of her, and she didn't mention it to him whenever he could keep his facade up. She would always try and slip him some food, but he'd always refuse, and instead of letting her feed herself he would feed her as if she was a disobedient child who needed to be hand-fed because they were spreading food everywhere instead of eating it.

It made her so scared for him. He was hurting, he was suffering, and he wouldn't let her help him. It was heartbreaking, yet he was one the one to try and comfort her about it, when it should be the other way around. She should be caring more for him, yet he wouldn't let her. She wasn't some child who couldn't care for herself, and sometimes she saw that he didn't know what was good for him. She tried to brainstorm ways to convince him to eat  _something, anything,_  but it never worked.

Even if she was new to the soul concept, she knew whenever his soul was cracking, crying out for hers to help, and hers would try, but never be able to do anything about it. It was so frustrating.

She went to Papyrus for help.

He'd said Sans was fine and to stop worrying about it.

She knew then that Papyrus could lie. He might have been just trying to soothe her - maybe even with orders from Sans to say it - but he'd lied all the same. It made her so sad, and no amount of comforting from Sans soothed her about it. She had a feeling of dread about so many things all of a sudden, like the ceiling of the Underground was cracking and crumbling, about to swallow her whole in an avalanche filled with pure terror.

~

"shhh, shhh, 's okay, calm down. deep breaths. just a dream, love. just a dream."

His voice was soothing, gentle. Worried. A promise of warmth and comfort came from him, especially strong from where she was clutched to his chest, his fingers running through her knotted hair softly, cooing at her and trying to get her back into reality and away from the nightmare she had been just pulled from. She had panicked more when she'd woken to find her limbs and body constricted, wrapped tightly in her favorite - and only - fluffy blanket to prevent her from hurting herself as she thrashed about in her sleep.

She was released from her claustrophobia-inducing prison as soon as Sans realized keeping her contained was not helping. She was still breathing in quick, shallow breaths, sweating profusely, and was trembling and shaking, fading adrenaline still trying to rush through her system. It felt like her chest was being crushed and pounded into oblivion, and she could still see the dragon above, staring down at her with dead eye sockets, could feel the tar burrowing and sinking and devouring her flesh, replacing it and making that part of her body no longer hers and instead something alien and unwelcome.

Her recovery from the nightmare was gradual, and much, much longer than it usually took for Sans to calm her down from her nightmare. Her mind was still buzzing by the time they had been sitting there for at least twenty minutes, her heart calming down and thudding hollowly in her chest. Sans nuzzled the top of her head, still cooing soft assurances; he was now rubbing big, slow circles in her back. She wrapped her arms around him and squeezed as she closed her eyes tightly, burying her face into his chest.

"you ok now?" He asked, moving his hands up so that he cradled her head.

"Mmm," she gave a noncommital answer, wanting to just curl up on him for the rest of the day and sleep until the next. For once, the idea of leaving the house didn't seem so good. It sent up red flags in the back of her head as soon as she thought about it, and she figured she could give Sans a break from being jealous for a day. He certainly wouldn't mind a lazy day inside.

"... same nightmare?" His voice was faint, as though worried that if he said it too loud the question might break her into tiny little shattered pieces.

"... mhmm."

He purred softly, and she felt comforted by it. "we can spend the day in 'ere. skippin' a day of exercise wouldn' hurt, would it?" He offered. "i know you wanna."

She just nodded into his chest, glad that she wouldn't go outside that day. A sense of foreboding filled her, but she dashed it away as she focused on his purring; it was light, and sweet, exactly like a loving cat's. It reminded her of one of her parent's cats. She missed them dearly, and hoped she'd see them again. A cat would be so welcoming in a place like the Underground. Something nice and warm to keep her company. Sans was kind of like her cat.

That idea made her stifle a snicker when she imagined him with a cute little tail and ears. Sans didn't notice, thankfully. He probably would've thought she was going crazy.

"Can we do today's questionnaire right now?" 

Ever since their first official date - planned dubiously fast to the point where she was almost a hundred percent sure that he might have known she was already there before he ever walked into Sans' room - they had taken up asking each other a few questions each day, so they could get to know one another better. They avoided certain topics, such as what happened to her earlier in the Underground, or Sans' past. He always avoided those questions like the plague, saying that he would prefer not to answer, leaving her to ponder and theorize with little to nothing to go off of. He never told her how he got the head wound, and made it clear he wasn't ready to tell her yet, so she didn't pry.

At Sans' nod, she decided to start them off. "Do you like the snow, or do you just deal with it because it comes with living in Snowdin?"

"i like it. 's nice 'n relaxing," he replied. "do _you_  like it?"

"I do. I used to play outside in the snow when I was younger, though I don't really like how it sticks to everything and melts within seconds of getting inside. My mom used to get mad whenever I tracked snow all over the house causing mayhem in the hallways making them slippery. And I do prefer the cold, so that's a plus. Just not  _too_  cold, you know?"

Her answers were always so much longer than his. She didn't mind.

"that's good. wouldn' want ya to hate livin' 'ere." He nuzzled her affectionately, still purring with such intensity it felt like she was sitting on a massage chair. It was incredibly relaxing.

Suddenly her stomach growled, the uncomfortable ache of hunger gnawing at the almost-forgotten organ. Sans' purring stopped immediately and he gently got her off of him, getting up off the bed and starting to head out of the room to get her some food. She reached towards him in a vain attempt to bring him back, letting her hand drop uselessly to her lap as he disappeared through the doorway and out into the hall. She shifted to rest her back against the wall, sighing heavily and placing a hand on her stomach, willing it to shut up for once and to not ruin such a nice moment again.

Papyrus' voice sounded close even though he was downstairs. "OF COURSE! I'LL GET ON THAT RIGHT AWAY, GIVE ME EIGHT MINUTES!"

Sans' reply was barely an audible murmur. His voice didn't carry in his usual tone, but she knew that his voice could be just as loud and just as carrying as Papyrus', though it lost its comfort and kindness. She wished she could hear the entire conversation, but she supposed she could always guess pretty accurately what Sans' replies were to fill in the blanks.

What she guessed his response would be turned out to be accurate. "I CAN'T RUSH COOKING, BROTHER! IT WON'T TURN OUT AS GOOD! NOBODY WANTS HALF-ROASTED PINE BARK!"

 She snickered to herself as Sans replied. He'd risen his voice a little, and she could make out his words. "well, she's hungry, and i don' want 'er to wait!" His voice dropped again as he replied, probably apologizing for his outburst.

Now she felt bad that Sans would boss around his brother because he didn't want her to wait eight minutes to eat something. She wasn't  _that_  hungry. She would last eight minutes. The brothers got her food so often that she might be one of the most well-fed people in the Underground. She wouldn't keel over and starve to death before ten minutes passed, and she had no idea why Sans would be so on edge about it.

Then it dawned on her that eight minutes might be too late for most monsters down there.

She felt awful. She always felt awful.

She listened as the door opened and closed, signalling that Papyrus had gone outside to collect bark and start a fire. Sans didn't come back upstairs to be with her as she waited, which surprised her. She felt... alone, as she mulled over what Sans must have been through for however long they had been down here. To make him worry so much about her, even if she was fine. What did he see when her stomach growled? How many times had he been too late to save somebody?

No, think good thoughts. What's past is in the past. She could focus on the now. She was fine, and Sans would be soothed as soon as she had something to eat. Everything was fine. Completely fine. There was nothing to dread about going outside, Sans would protect her no matter what against anything, she was never completely alone, always with somebody there to help her if she needed it. She had people that genuinely cared for her down there. Her life was fine. There would always be a chance that she'd make it back to the surface someday, and she'd bring Sans, and they'd be happy together.

It's all fine. It's all fine. It's all  _f i n e ._

The house shivered slightly as something in the distance hit the ground, hard. It sent a tingle up her spine, and her dread increased tenfold. The familiarity... she knew what this was. But she knew this feeling. Another impact, a fraction of a fraction stronger.

It was coming.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 10 pages · 3475 words. This was probably the most fucking timeskippy chapter I've ever made, summing up the entirety of a goddamn month. Things were going well. As 'well' as the Underground can get. We're finally here, boys. I bet you guys know what's coming. (I'm gonna be practically GLUED to my laptop writing the next chapter like holy fuck). What do you guys think of the writing style in the first half? Not too bad, was it? I've only done it once before and it wasn't as long as this. I prefer that way of timeskipping, honestly, and I want to know if it's acceptable to you guys.
> 
> OH BOI
> 
> BATTLE SCREEEEEEEEEEEEECH


	16. Chapter Thirteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The chapter where... oh. Oh, shit. Shit shit shit shit shit shit.

Overwhelming silence had overtaken the cozy, quiet town, swallowing it whole and turning it into a place void of noise. The breeze that typically blew throughout the cavern had died. The river that ran through the outskirts of Snowdin and disappeared into Waterfall was deathly quiet, its usual loud crashing over the rapids shushed as though it were holding its breath alongside the monsters that were huddled and hidden in their homes and shops. Snowflakes fell silently to the ground, a gentle downfall that covered all open spaces in a smothering soft white, turning the world outside into one of forced quiet and hoax tranquility.

_Thud, thud._

The ground quaked and trembled, reverberating like a tuning fork. It rushed up the spines of those in Snowdin, rattling their insides with terror and anxiety at each step that was coming ever-closer and ever-stronger. It came at a constant speed, never slowing down or speeding up like a steady march on a warpath. The footsteps of an army were felt an hour after the steps had begun, adding to the power of the leader's steps, every new addition to the tremors a waking nightmare.

Ever since she had felt the first and alerted the brothers, the entire town had gone into lockdown. Doors were shut and barricaded; windows were boarded, with only small slits to peer through onto the streets. Sans had made sure Papyrus was safely inside, all evidence of the cooking fire put out, and that all of the windows and doors on the first floor were secure. He put Papyrus in charge of guarding the upper floor's windows and keeping a sharp lookout of the forest behind, in the unlikely case that some sort of danger could come from that direction. Then he had made sure she was bundled in her favorite blanket and in the living room, tucked out of sight of the window in case some kind of invader could peek through the narrow spaces between the boards and manage to see her. He sat with her then, making sure that she was gnawing on her half-roasted pine bark despite her chattering and uncooperating teeth, cooing softly and quietly in an effort to keep her calm.

The sense of foreboding and danger from the footsteps hadn't hit anyone harder than it hit her. Her nightmares washed over her, dragging her under and away from reality, to a place where she could thrash and thrash and never escape, twisting and turning and clawing at anything and everything to no avail no matter how hard she tried. Nobody else but her knew and recognized those footsteps. The ones that could make the void shake. The abomination that could make those footsteps that was headed her way for some reason she could only morbidly guess about. The one whose insides could burrow through flesh and make her own limbs no longer hers. It'd thrown her into a state of complete panic and shutdown, leaving her with chattering teeth, trembling limbs, shallow breathing, adrenaline coursing through her, and a rapidly beating heart. Sans was nothing but white noise, blurred together with the background. His attempts at comfort were wasted on her. It only got worse and worse as it got closer and closer.

_THUD, THUD._

It was almost on top of them, having reached the outer reaches of the town. Sans dared to leave her side to peer outside of the windows. The footsteps had slackened in pace by then, taking on the pace of a cat tracking a mouse, searching intently for where its quarry could be hiding. They were lighter, not the heavy thumping and lurching steps that it had been taking just moments before. The creature wasn't in his line of sight, but a small portion of its army was. Monsters that scouted ahead from the rest of the pack were curiously investigating the town, trying to open doors and find ways inside the buildings where they could, without a doubt, smell the fear and compacted bodies that were hidden away indoors. They gnawed on anything that came within a certain range of them, trying to sink their teeth into rocks and snow, mailboxes and even each other. Chaos swiftly ruled over the streets as the invading newcomers made themselves at home.

One monster stood out from the rest. A black-furred Eurasian wolf, with warm amber eyes that shone with a different, though still morbid, kind of curiosity. He looked almost feral as he walked on all fours, wearing nothing but a plain black tunic that blended together with his patched and rugged fur. He was investigating a scent trail through the streets, nose brushing against the snow, ears pricked attentively. Other monsters flocked together around the buildings as they clawed and scratched at all surfaces and fought; he stayed away from those groups, sticking to the open areas left untouched by the rest. The wolf's head raised and turned, making eye contact with him. Sans was taken by surprise, then confusion when the wolf just gave a discreet nod in his direction and turned away, continuing on his way to track a different prey than his companions.

The head of the swarm finally reared into view. It was the skeletal remains of a dragon; a full-sized one, unlike the more typical and common smaller and more lizard-like types, a genuine one from the days of old. The missing wings clued him into the fact that it was a malformed in some way, born without the wings associated with dragons. The impressive set of horns adorning the back of its head were displayed like a deer's antlers, showing off one of the dragon's most treasured physical attributes, a display of the dragon's power. They curved inwards, as though trying to stab the other. Based on the shapes of certain bones Sans could tell the dragon was male.

It radiated an aura of wrongness, like it shouldn't have existed in the first place. It was no longer true dragon nor true skeleton, a horrifying abomination of a mix between the two distinct and respected subspecies. The bones were those of a true dragon's, missing wings. The expressional sockets and irises or pupils seen in all true skeletons were nonexistent on the creature before him, instead sockets stuck wide open and allowing one to see all the way inside to its cranium. Malleable and flexible bones were rigid and still, the needed linking bones that allowed them to move missing. The magic that normally held skeletons together was replaced by a thick mass of tar that congealed and filled its ribcage to the brim. It linked each bone to what it was supposed to link to, keeping the structure together and keeping it from collapsing. It dripped and fell in droplets and entire globs from the ribcage, little drizzles coming from other areas where there was excess tar. Organs squished and swam around in the ribcage, covered in a thick film of jet black, nearly breaching the surface before being pulled into the center like an endless cycle of hell. The creature had no soul of its own that he could feel beating, but he could feel the struggled beats of a human soul trapped inside the squirming and writhing mass of black. Faint flashes of purple were seen as it attempted over and over to escape between the ribs, but it was always dragged back inside. No matter how much tar dripped and sunk into the pure snow, it never seemed to end, regenerating and filling up all the gaps and spaces.

Everything about it disgusted him. It was so ungainly as it tried to tread carefully, its legs stumbling and catching on things, dragging its toes on the ground and creating deep marks in the snow. The tar was spread thin along its arms and neck, not giving enough support to let the creature stand upright, making it droop and brush against the ground with every step. A jolt passed through it with every uneven step it took, causing its upper body to bob up and down with the movement like some kind of twisted see-saw. Its head was almost completely limp, the tip of its snout dragging huge and wide gashes into the snow every time it dipped. The tar was spread so thinly through its tail that it was completely limp, dragging uselessly through the snow and creating snake-like tracks as it was dragged every which way with its uncoordinated steps. Other than its footsteps it was eerily silent compared to the mass of monsters that had followed it.

Coming to a halt in front of his house, the creature did an ungraceful maneuver to face the front of Sans' house. He tensed and ducked out of the way of the window, in case the creature had better eyesight than he thought, and sidled back over to check on (Y/n). Her soul was still fluttering and panicking, sending off rapid and strong waves of such terror that tore through his own, much weaker soul, like paper. The closer the creature got, the worse she got. It ached him to see her like that, but his mind was racing with bigger problems that were much more urgent.

_CRASH! RRRRIP!_

Ripping through the boards and glass like they were nothing but flimsy wood pulp and sand, the sharp claws of the creature gripped the window frame as it started to heave itself inside the house. Its skull was second to come inside, whipping around to face them and letting the bottom jaw drop and unhinge like a snake's, a sickening noise as it smacked against the welling tar fighting to fill his empty mouth. It pulled itself through the window, breaking off stray shards of glass that still clung to the frame and tried to hinder its progress through the tight space. Sharp, jagged pieces were sucked alongside everything else into the tar in its ribcage, disappearing within moments.

(Y/n) was silent, though her soul was humming with terror, fluttering like a hummingbird, nearly paralyzing him as it washed over him and overtook his thoughts and emotions, instincts screaming for him to flee and protect. He moved in front of her protectively before turning around and scooping her into his arms and teleporting them as far away as he could manage. He channeled magic through her soul and into his to assist in the escape - he used it to take more hops than his magic would have allowed, farther and farther away from the town.

He couldn't stop to rest until they'd teleported a full one hour's trek away from the town. He crumpled to the ground, still clutching her tightly to his chest in a protective manner, rolling over onto his back to avoid suffocating her beneath him. The cold seeping into his bones from the snow was a fantastic counter to how hot they were from the extensive use of magic. He panted as his grip loosened on her, going limp to let his magic regenerate enough to let him keep going. The magic channel between their souls had dried up when he couldn't sustain it any longer.

The distance put between her and the creature gave her some room to calm down. Her breaths deepened as her heart slowed, her thoughts and surroundings coming into focus more than before. Her whitened-knuckled grip on Sans' shirt loosened as she got up, fighting away the stiffness that had settled deeply into her muscles. She concernedly looked down at Sans, whose iris had shrunk and sharpened to the point where she could barely see it in his socket. It gave him an unhinged look. She knew he must've been exhausted, and the fact that his bones were radiating the same heat as a bonfire probably wasn't helping. She curled up in a ball beside him and looked around warily.

Leafless branches intertwined together to form a canopy, blocking some of the light the ceiling stones cast to them below. They shadows they made loomed and swallowed the forest whole, making it all dark and threatening. They had taken a break in a secluded section of the woods, where the trees were close together and the undergrowth was thick, but hadn't been able to grow correctly where they rested. The stress hadn't left her and made her see nothing in everything, every shadow was the creature looming in for the kill, every dark tree trunk was his body towering over her and dripping that tar harvested straight from hell. She took a deep breath and turned her eyes to Sans. His iris had bloated back to its default size and dullness, looking up at the tree branches. She held him close, trembling again.

"... P-papyrus..." She managed to say, her voice nearly cutting out as soon as she'd tried to use it. Her throat was constricting, suffocating her and smothering her.

"... 's... fine. he's fine. weren't after monsters," he assured her, his voice a croak.

"W-what are they after?" She was scared to know.

"... you. your soul. i won' let 'em have it." He draped an arm around her and rested his face on the top of her head, inhaling her scent. She curled up further into a ball and squeezed her eyes shut, burying her face into his shoulder, ignoring the sharp cold of the snow on her cheekbone. She felt safe there, cuddled and protected, shielded from all dangers. He shifted to adjust his grip on her, pulling her to his chest, nuzzling her head affectionately. She would stay there forever if she had the choice.

_Thud._

She went completely still, her muscles as frozen as ice.

_Thud... thud._

Sans let out a quiet hissing noise. It went through his nasal cavity towards the end, turning into a sharp and drawn-out whistle. He unevenly fought to get to his feet, stumbling and nearly falling back to the ground when he got a headrush that made his vision swim and black spots to clutter what wasn't being drowned out. There was a distinct ringing in his acoustic meatus. Gravity was magnitudes stronger, pulling his stubborn body back to the ground where he could get the proper rest he needed to continue - but he was stubborn, too. He grabbed her wrist as gently as he could and dragged her to her feet, trying not to hurt her.

"you gotta run wi' me. ok?" Another teleport might dust him.

_Thud._

"O-okay..." Her legs trembled and buckled, threatening to collapse as Sans started to tug her along. They were unsteady and unreliable for the forest floor's maze of long-dead undergrowth, roots, and rocks. She had tripped and almost fell countless times, with Sans catching her every time. They stepped over a small burbling creek and he hastened his pace, nearly ripping her arm out of her socket with the force exerted from the acceleration. She fought to keep up, lungs nearly bursting and sending a trail of thick white clouds of moisture drifting up and beyond the treetops. 

_Thud, thud. Thud... thud._

It was running now. The thudding footsteps were closer together, more uneven. It was gaining distance, closing in on them.

The forest blended together into a mess of trunks and shadows, branches tearing at them and trying to block their path, and undergrowth tripping them and nearly sending them sprawling into the snow every couple paces. She kept looking over her shoulder to gaze into the land they'd crossed, looking for signs that the creature was upon them, but she always found none other than the unsteady footsteps she felt under her feet.

_Thud, thud, thud, thud._

Cursing under his breath, Sans nearly dragged her right off her feet as he grew faster and faster in desperation to get away. Her feet were half-dragged, half-running across the ground. Long gashes and cuts went down her legs where they had caught on undergrowth and has just been forcefully dragged through with strong tugs and pulls. Her mind was occupied with something else other than pain, buzzing with terror, confusion, and panic.

How did it find them so quickly? It would be nearly impossible to follow a teleportation trail, she was sure. They were still far enough ahead to hide and not be found, weren't they?

_Thud, thud, thud, THUD._

Closer, closer, growing ever closer...

She could hear it tearing a trail through the dense woods, knocking aside trees and tearing through the obstacles that dragged them down. There were more, softer footsteps now, also stampeding through the woods, showing that it had brought a small portion of its army alongside it. She could see glimpses of fur and bone and scales as she glanced behind her now, through the trees. Sans was dragging her now, completely silent.

_THUD THUD THUD THUD._

Sans' foot caught on an above-ground root. He was sent sprawling, still clutching her wrist, face-first into the snow. Exhaustion claimed him, not allowing him to get up again.

_THUDTHUDTHUD... thud, thud._

They slowed, so close.

The smaller group of ravenous monsters hovered over the two like vultures, leaning down and crouching to inspect them carefully and pick at them like they were fresh carcasses. Two monsters stooped to pick her frozen body up - one supported her lower body, a monster covered in coarse and dirty tan fur and the other, a monster covered in dark brown scales, grabbed her upper body to keep it above the ground. They'd had to pry Sans' grip from her wrist. The rest prodded at Sans as though trying to find some sort of meal to pick at among his bones, though became uninterested when they found none. They picked him up after a moment as well.

They were carried back to Snowdin, led silently by the abomination of nightmares and tar.

~

Eerie silence had overtaken the town again, even though the number of monsters had increased astronomically. The original inhabitants of Snowdin had been left to their own devices by the swarm, having no interest in the measly pickings that still had enough energy in them to fight back. They stayed inside and watched as all of the cult monsters stood in a gigantic circle around the center of town, the big pine tree, giving it a huge berth and just standing in complete, utter silence as they waited for something to happen.

Their numbers parted to make a pathway for the returning party to enter through. She looked around for any way out but was only met with hungry eyes from all directions, completely surrounding her and blocking all possible ways of escape. They were fenced in like herded animals waiting for their awaiting, inevitable slaughter. The monster carrying her top half blocked her view of Sans, who was being carried just behind. He hadn't put up any kind of fight on the way there, completely docile all the way, and it worried her. Was he so exhausted he couldn't move at all?

The path disappeared as soon as they were in the center of the excited and cannibalistic circle. The surrounding monsters looked on like they were being shown just before a gladiator fight, all held for their amusement. Slowly they began to pick up a hidden rhythm in the masses, stomping their feet in perfect synchrony to their soul's beats, ramping up the bloodthirsty need for violence and something to feed on. It felt as though the ground was prepared to give way and send them falling into a ravine similar to the one just outside of the Ruins, where they could fall and fall for all eternity and never reach the bottom.

Monsters too excited to stay in the same steady rhythm went faster and faster, others following suit until it was a cacophony of chaos and pure noise, stomping and yelling and shouting. Those too unfortunate to keep up with the newfound beat and fell were trampled and dusted instantly, those still standing feasting on the remains to keep going and further fuel the chaos. No matter how many died there always seemed to be more, the mass stretching on and on past her line of sight, filling the pitifully small town to the brim.

Zaides used the pine tree in the center as a perch. Tar dripped from between his ribs and burrowed into its once-thicker branches and swaths of needles, melting a hole through its side as he made itself comfortable and looked over the swarm gathered around him. As his empty sockets regarded the crowd they died down, feasting on their brethren silently and watching the inside of the circle intently.

Sans and her were dropped unceremoniously onto the snow, a five feet's distance put between them. Sans was completely still, his eye sockets closed and his chest barely moving as he breathed. She was having trouble breathing and her muscles refused to cooperate with her as she screamed at her body to get up and run. Her mouth did open, but no sound came out, her throat contracting and choking her. Her lips were left slightly open in a silent scream of terror.

_Thud, thud._

Zaides got down from his perch and took two steps towards her. He blocked out the ceiling stone's light and cast a dark shadow across her as he loomed over her. Tar squirmed in his ribcage and a good-sized chunk landed on the snow a sliver away from her hand. It burrowed into the snow and died, hardening into something similar to rock. He leaned down over her from the side, propping his upper body up with one of his hands. His other reached over and was rested on her face, his claws threateningly placed on her forehead.

He tried to drag her towards him by the face, but his claws just sunk into her forehead and were ripped downwards, slashing through her face from forehead to chin. It sliced through her eye during its path of destruction, causing her immense agony and spreading thick crimson blood all over her face. He pulled away his claws - now soaked red - and took a single step backwards, wobbling in place as he readjusted his position.

His teeth closed in around her shin.

_C r u n c h ._

His jaws shattered her tibula and fibula with a sickening crunch, the shards stabbing into her ruined flesh and heightening her agony. To keep a firm grip, a larger amount of tar rushed along his spine and into his mouth, spreading out to give the inside and outside of his mouth a thick layer of flesh that acted as muscles. It spread into her leg and began to infest in it, fusing it to the inside of his mouth as he hoisted her upwards, her muscles still frozen solid with pure terror as a scream of agony caught in her throat and unabled her to breathe.

Blood roared in her ears, unchallenged by the shouts of approval from the crowd. It coated her face, getting into her eye and nose and mouth, choking her and overwhelming her senses. Her sense of touch was clouded and hampered by agony, blocking everything else out. Everything lurched and was thrown around as she was shaken in the air like a rabbit in the jaws of a gigantic dog, a mere plaything and prey to a much bigger and superior animal. The scream for help that fought to get out of her throat died as she couldn't even breathe through the blood, her entire body screaming in its own way as it struggled to keep up with what was going on around her and to her, trying to keep her alive and stop her from going into shock.

Something surged in her soul, an abrupt strong force erupting from hers and into someone else's.

She barely processed when she'd stopped being shaken, hanging limply from the jaws of Zaides. It took her ears a moment to register Sans' voice from somewhere below.

"- fuckin' claws offa her! a skeleton knows how to kill a skeleton, so let 'er down and fuckin' leave 'er alone a'fore i make you!" His voice was dripping with pure rage and shaking with a magic form of adrenaline. The monsters surrounding had been shocked when he'd gotten up from his place laying down, staring at him blank-faced as he yelled at their leader without a hint of fear in his voice. Her one eye roved around until it met with his, and a flash of fear rushed through his iris before it melted away back to fury.

Zaides did not reply, and began to shake her around again, jumbling her senses and throwing her back into a world of churning hell. She had but one thought racing through her mind over and over on an endless loop. She was going to die.

_SHICK._

A moment of pause and suddenly she was falling - Zaides' jaws still clamped firmly around her leg - back onto the snow. The cold sunk so deep into her flesh but she had no capacity to care. She hazily looked up to the rest of his body, now missing a head. The severed neck had a thick mass of tar congealing around it to try and search for the missing bones as the decapitated body dropped down onto all fours to try and seek its head. She stared in horror as it drew closer, seemingly knowing where she dropped.

Firm, more friendly, skeleton hands gripped her under her arms and swiftly dragged her away from the creature. Her neck was too stiff to look up at her savior, but she knew already who it was and relished in his protecting touch. The mass of monsters completely disregarded capturing her as they grabbed at the skull attached to the bottom half of her leg, prying its jaws open and getting it off of her before carrying it over swiftly to their leader. She squeezed her eye shut to avoid looking at the mess, still wanting to scream in agony that had never ceased. She could feel the tar squirming around in her flesh and replacing it, parts of it starting to try and merge its way into her bloodstream to flow elsewhere in her body. She forced herself to take deep breaths so her heart would beat slower.

Before she knew it she was dragged behind the house, out of sight of the cult. Sans laid her down gently on the snow, surveying the damage taken; he grinded his teeth as he saw the tar squirm and twitch. He turned his attention to her instead, keeping his voice soft and low to seem comforting and not panicked about her physical state. "hey, love... you're a doctor, right? i uh... need you to tell me what to do. please. 'm at a loss here." The scent and wetness of her blood - it was all over him now - was driving him a little off the edge, and he needed to do something to help her quickly before he lost himself. This was the only window and he needed to do _something._

"C-cut off my leg." Her voice caught in her throat and she coughed heavily, blood that had been caught in her throat coming out in short bursts with every cough. "Burn the w-wound. To keep from b-bleeding. H-hurry, please..."

"a... are you sure? completely?"

She'd passed out from the pain.

He cussed and swore quietly. He darted inside to quickly grab his axe he kept tucked away in the kitchen, calling up to Papyrus, telling him to get a fire going outside and to start heating up one of their larger pans. He checked the blade for grime that might worsen the wound with infection and muttered "fuck" under his breath when he saw how encrusted with gore it was. He ran back outside and hastily cleaned it best he could with snow before crouching down beside her. Papyrus rushed right past him to begin a fire nearby.

Sans kept glancing from her tarnished face to her crippled leg. Everything below the knee had been demolished; bite marks encrusted with squirming tar, blood soaking the snow through what little punctures weren't sealed by the revolting black invader. Bone splinters stuck out of the gnashed pulp like porcupine quills, which usually wouldn't bother him but seeing as those were  _her_  bones, it was... wrong. It made him wretch. Half of her face was now covered in thick gashes, one of which goes straight across her eye. The eye had been torn through easily and was now beyond the point of being able to function, ruining it.

He lined up the axe blade just under her knee, slightly slicing her flesh in the process. He took a deep breath, making sure his hands were as steady as possible. He could hear the fire spark and ignite the sticks, and the harsh - but quiet - sound as the pot was placed on top of the flickering flames. The cold temperature was battled by the gentle heat. A similar warmth radiated from her, and the crimson snow she laid on.

He brought the axe up.

He swung it downwards with as much force as he could muster, cleaving her flesh.

She woke up and screamed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> teehee got ur leg


	17. Chapter Fourteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The chapter where everything changes and readjusts for the worst, but a good future is presented and worked towards by everyone.

Good things tend to come with the bad things. Tagalongs that lessen the absolutely devastating blow of the bad thing, making it a little more bearable. Sometimes they were evenly balanced, sometimes... not. Getting a brand new kitten doesn't lessen the pain of the passing of a loved one. It soothes the ache for awhile but the slightest reminder and it comes stabbing back. The passing isn't forgiven just because the kitten is nice and joyful and distracting for awhile. It hurts. It'll always hurt. The good thing wasn't good  _enough._

That was how she felt. Drifting in and out of consciousness, every waking moment a nightmare of agony. Her muscles were so stiff from being thrown around that she could scarcely move, bedridden on the mattress she'd already spent so much time on. She kept trying to wiggle her toes and remember the sensation of the cold axe blade against her feverish flesh, then the intense burning that came right after. Phantom pain would never go away, replaying the crunching and burrowing of the tar, the bone shards splintering through her skin over and over. She knew the side of her face was slashed to ribbons, but when she managed to ask Sans how bad it really was he would avoid the question. It made her worry and worry, though she could never muster the strength to reach a hand up to her face to check. Her body always shook with fever and blood loss, sending her into a half-lucid state most of the time she managed to regain consciousness. It was utter hell.

When she could do nothing but whimper and squirm Sans would always cradle her and murmur things. More than half of them slipped into one ear and out of the other, but a few managed to snag on the way. How much he loved her and how he wished she would get better soon, but sprinkled in through the rest was something she'd thought was impossible for so long. The good that would come after the bad.

"the barrier'll be broken when they get enough souls."

"you'll get to go home."

"... see the sun again..."

At what cost, though?

The monsters of Snowdin being stripped from their only food source until another six humans came along and got their souls taken. Forced into the deepest parts of their homes to rot and hide as the cult got settled. To watch as the cult ate the any human that came through as soon as their soul was sucked into the insides of their leader as they starved. It would be a sooner end if she volunteered herself, making it only five they'd have to wait for, but Sans wouldn't let her and she was too weak to do it herself. The bark that would usually be gathered and roasted for her to eat was dwindling as the cult made use of the trees as well, and it was getting dangerous to venture outside.

She was dreading how the people on the surface would react to the monsters' emergence when all was said and done. It sounded as though the cult would be the first ones to escape. The amount of havoc they would bring for being the first faces seen by the public would be devastating - who would want to preserve an endangered species when the first thing they ever see of it is something absolutely terrifying that wants to destroy them? They'd retaliate as soon as possible because they're a danger to the public and go through what had happened later when it was already too late. She could only hope they would manage to detain Zaides and capture his cult and not do the same to the rest of the monsters as soon as they come out of the mountain.

How would her parents react when she came out of the mountain? Would her parents welcome her back with open arms, or would they shun her for being so stupid as to even go near Mt. Ebott and leave her independent when she couldn't afford to be anymore? She'd missed so many college classes by then and would certainly be expelled even though it wasn't her fault. It would be a gigantic waste of money and her student loans would make everything thousands of times worse. Even if they accepted her back into their home to recover, she was left with the fear that they would reject Sans from seeing her. She knew they would freak out, blame him for her injuries before she could even breathe a word to explain.

Everything was a mess.

She could have avoided it all if she'd never taken that damn nightwalk.

She'd have a normal face. Two eyes. Two legs. Not on the edge of starvation.

... But she wouldn't have Sans.

Who cared about her, a little too much sometimes. Who tried to comfort her. Who did trick her and kidnap her, but only when his mind wasn't in the right place. He'd learned from that and had been forgiven. He saved her from Zaides by chopping his neck in two with a bone to give her time to escape, and even if it was a little late, she was alive and that was what mattered.

If only it'd killed Zaides once and for all.

Apparently that's too much to ask for.

She felt bad for wanting Zaides to die. It hurt her soul. She'd heard over and over again that her soul trait was kindness, which made sense. Had a kindness soul ever wanted somebody dead so bad that they fantasized about it? She'd guess a strong 'no'. Everything was so warped and contorted now, she wanted to be  _home_.

They say that home is where the heart is. Her heart was sliced into little tiny pieces scattered throughout the world. Where was her home then?

~

It was freezing in the house, but warmer cuddled inside of the blankets. She'd been awake and completely lucid for a span of about ten minutes, which she counted as a record ever since drifting into a half-coma state. Sans was sleeping while spooning her from behind so she didn't bother waking him up just to talk with him. She guessed she would be unconscious again within another five minutes anyway, so it really didn't matter. He needed all the rest he could get so he could conserve his energy.

She spent the time awake being grateful that she was lucid enough to try and sort through how much time she'd been there. Her sense of time was abysmal, and she wished she could check a clock. Or a calendar. A calendar would be better, since she didn't even know what season it was on the surface. She'd fallen during autumn, sometime in early December. She'd been down there so long it could be autumn again by the time they escaped, though that seemed like a long-shot, even to her. Early summer seemed like a better guess, though it could be late spring.

Her shoulder stiffened and sent a dull ache throughout her arm, so she weakly reached up to try and sort it out. The movement evidently woke Sans up since he swatted her hand away from her shoulder and gave it a gentle massage.

"you awake?" He murmured quietly in her ear, giving the back of her neck a soft nuzzle.

"Mhm." Her throat felt raspy and dry, and when she tried to swallow it refused.

".. you're worried about somethin'," he observed. The soul-bond between them had taken some time to get used to, but now they could read each other like a book. He always knew how she felt, and she knew how he felt. If one was feeling strongly, the other would start to feel that way too. It was useful, but also a bit of a nuisance at the worst of times. Such as if she was trying to hide something, like how worried she was.

"c'mon, you can tell me 'bout it." He nuzzled her gently again.

She sighed, and relented. "When they've already got six souls. What'll stop them from taking mine if they get impatient?"

She'd realized that if she was gone, there wouldn't be anybody to vouch for the monster's good side other than themselves, and that wouldn't go well. They would rather take it from a human representative, and she couldn't leave them finding one up to chance alone. Then she'd started to worry that the cult would just pursue her soul again anyway, and she didn't even know why they'd stopped in the first place.

"oh, heh, right. uh... shortly after you blacked out i told 'em that if they take your soul 'd chop zaides to splinters. that did the trick. they already know i can from when i decapitated him. and they already 'ave six souls. just need one more."

"Those poor people..." She shivered just thinking about her soul being squeezed around in Zaides' ribcage.

"zaides'll release their souls as soon as 'e breaks the barrier. he can't use 'em anyway, he can't properly absorb 'em. less of a problem to deal with zaides as a god that way too." When she sighed in relief he chuckled and buried his face between her shoulder blades. His nasal cavity poked her spine, but she didn't mind. He brought his face up and kissed the back of her head.

Everything would work out alright.

~

The last human had come.

They were dragged to Zaides, who waited in the center of town by the long-gone spot where the tall pine tree used to be. They struggled and tried to scream for help, but nobody was willing to heed their desperate calls. The sounds of tearing flesh and crunching bone was seared into her memory as she peered through the slits of the window, watching in horror as a girl she knew was fed to the horde and her soul disappeared into the deep blackness of Zaides' ribcage. Zadies' tail disappeared from her line of view not long after as he began his trek to the barrier. The horde followed, rejuvenated by the meal and ready to make their way to the surface.

Nothing remained of her except memories, now. She called her last Halloween on the surface, not long before she'd fallen - being dragged along by her friends around campus after trying to avoid the outing... making excuses for not having a costume and being decked out in a sheep costume pulled from her friend's closet. She'd been a deer that year. They'd laughed and gone to parties - not of her own free will - shared jokes together and chatted. Studied together sometimes when they needed it. She had been so popular and loved, making friends with nearly everyone she met. She'd been kind to her.

It could've been anyone else. But it wasn't.

Monsters finally felt safe to leave their homes, consoling each other and talking happily about what the future would hold. Plans on what they would do as soon as they reached the land where the light touched. A few were pessimistic still, warning others about how hostile the welcome could be, but the rest were determined to be happy for a change. The almost childish excitement of the people outside warmed her soul, and she was more determined than ever to let them have their happy ending. She let it wash away the sadness of her friend's death, blooming from a wilted bud to a vibrant rose.

Sans, who had been supporting her the entire time, was purring quietly at the happy news and joyous hearts. They were content to sit in silence with each other, just basking in each other's company, relishing in the thoughts of what the surface would bring. Everything would end up alright. She'd make sure it did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 5.8 pages · 2002 words. IT'S THE END, BOIS! This was the last official chapter of Abomination! To the winner of the Zaides' scramble - LaviniaD, of AO3 (I went with the name in ()) - you can choose a one-shot of your choice for any point in the story. I'll be doing a quick epilogue right after this that'll probably take me a whole whopping 5 minutes to write, then I'll get right to work on the first chapter of the sequel. That's right, bitches. If you've missed everything up to this point, tHERE'S A SEQUEL. It's called "A Helping Horror" (would be 'A Helping Hand' but Horror seemed more appropriate) and it starts up right after they get on the surface. There's a lot of changes in formatting (chapter titles, the little summaries at the top of each chapter I usually do will be a tad different, and chapter images) as I'm trying out new things, and hopefully the writing I'll be more satisfied with. I was worried this was a bit short for a fic, but apparently average amount of chapters for a novel is 10-12 so I think I'm in the clear.
> 
> Have questions? Feel free to ask. Any at all if you need anything cleared up. If I don't plan on elaborating on it in the sequel I'll explain in full detail what you want me to. Hoped you enjoyed the read, fellas. :)


	18. Epilogue

Almost everyone is leaving now.

Their souls leave to places out of my jurisdiction, embarking on voyages I'll never know.

There is no place for me here anymore.

I will go back to the void where I came from and join the others.

You will be seeing me eventually, one way or another...

But I don't need your soul anymore. My purpose is fulfilled by another, and your soul wasn't needed after all.

Your grief wasn't necessary.

Nothing was necessary.

I'm not necessary, anymore.

I can only hope everything goes well. For you. For my two sons, who don't remember me.

Nobody remembers me. The one who did is dead, killed by the one who I instructed him to watch.

Memory is a tricky thing. It can be deceiving and harmful, causing more pain than joy. Some wish to never forget; some wish to never remember. Sometimes people cannot decide which they want.

Sans cannot either.

Help him, would you?

If you can even hear me.


	19. Meanwhile...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One-shot for the winner of the Zaides scramble, tacked onto the end here. Enjoy. Really sad. (Sorry it's short.)

Quiet sobbing came from the bedroom. A hunched figure sat at the foot of her missing daughter's bed, clutching her possessions to her chest tightly. The box she'd unpacked them from lay open on the floor nearby, most of its contents spread around the room how they had been before. An opened letter lay spread on the desk beside the bed, signed by the college she'd disappeared from.

The police had done what they could, coming back with the bad news. No trace of where she could have gone, no body, with only the assumption she might've gone to the mountain like so many other missing people. The assumption was that she must have gone there to commit suicide, though it was odd how there wasn't a note. She'd begged and begged for them to look into it being some type of kidnapping and to find her, but they closed the case and told her that the leads had gone cold. If she wanted to find her daughter, she would have to search the mountains herself.

But she didn't. She couldn't. Her legs weren't as good as they used to be.

In hopes that her daughter would return, she knit sweaters and scarves, even an entire set of pajamas. She kept the kitchen stocks with the foods and snacks she knew she liked. She didn't name the newest litter of kittens born to one of their cats, so that she could name them when she returned, like she knew she would want to do. She played her favorite shows on the TV whenever she cleaned the house out of stress, and pretended she was there.

She'd be home eventually. It'd all be alright.

~

_Bzz, bzz, bzz..._

She tentatively picked up her vibrating phone, answering the call.

_"We're calling to inform you that your daughter, a miss (Y/n) (L/n) has been checked in here at Dawn's Rise hospital. She's suffered through extreme injuries..."_

"Dawn's Rise hospital? That's the hospital on the northern side of Mt. Ebott, right?"

_"Yes, ma'am."_

"Is she allowed visitors?"

_"... Yes, she has one currently."_

That was odd. Who'd found out she was there quicker than her parents? She shrugged it off."Thank you for calling. We'll be driving over to see her right away. How long will she be in the hospital?"

_"I'm not sure, ma'am, but her injuries were already on the way to recovery when she was checked in. She could be out in a couple days or in a couple weeks. You'll have to ask her doctor."_

"Thank you again."

_"No problem."_

She hung up, and rushed to go tell her husband to start the car.


End file.
